There is no National Veterans Cemetery in Connecticut; and, there is probably not going to be one anytime soon–if ever.
Here is why:
- Connecticut has a strong Civil-War era tradition of taking care of our veterans. The nation’s first veterans’ hospital, Fitch’s Home for Soldiers, was established on Noroton Avenue in Darien on July 4, 1864. Additionally, Spring Grove Veterans Cemetery was established in 1888 in Darien as the first state veterans cemetery.
- Most Connecticut veterans currently have “reasonable access” to five national or state cemeteries other than Middletown.
Currently, the National Cemetery Administration defines “reasonable access” within 75 miles of a veterans’ residence. Other than the Middletown State Veterans Cemetery, there are five National or State Veterans Cemeteries that offer all three burial options (full casket, columbarium, buried cremains) regionally.
“National Cemetery Administration’s goal is to increase the percent of Veterans who have reasonable access to (reside within 75 miles of) a National, State, or Tribal Veterans Cemetery to 95% (currently 93.7%). To achieve this goal, we are implementing enhanced service strategies designed to increase Veteran access to a burial option.”
https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/NCA/AccessToNationalCemetery
Calverton National Cemetery in Wading River, NY on Long Island covers the majority of the state of Connecticut. It is about 40 miles south from the Middletown State Veterans Cemetery. From informal polling of Connecticut veterans, not one expressed a desire to be interred on Long Island–largely because it requires a car trip down to NYC or a ferry across Long Island Sound.
As one veterans said at the 2024 Wreaths Across America Day at the Middletown State Veterans Cemetery, “none of my relatives would visit my grave over there, and I bet people walking by would wonder why a Connecticut guy was buried here.”
The Massachusetts National Cemetery (Bourne) offers reasonable access to the eastern portion of Connecticut. From anecdotal polling, Connecticut veterans automatically considered Bourne to be their second option after the Middletown State Veterans Cemetery.
The Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery offers all three burial options (full casket, columbarium, buried cremains) north of Albany. Only the extreme northwest corner of the state is within “reasonable access” of the cemetery.
The Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Agawam is a state veterans cemetery just over a mile from the Connecticut border at Suffield.
The Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter is a state veterans cemetery south west of North Kingston.
There are multiple national cemeteries in the New York City region including:
- Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, NY (cremation only)
- St. Albans National Cemetery, Queens, NY (columbarium only/under construction )
- Cypress Hills National Cemetery (all three locations closed)