Fort Logan National Cemetery

Fort Logan is located in Denver County near the southwest boundary of the City of Denver. By the 1880s, with the removal of much of the Native American population to reservations, the federal government had begun to close many frontier forts. The rapid growth of the railroad had made it easier for the Army to quickly move troops to where they were needed. The frontier posts that had played such an important role in the development of the West became increasingly obsolete and expensive to maintain. Still, the citizenry of Denver, in relative isolation and apprehensive concerning increased immigration from the East and abroad, petitioned the Army to establish a post near the city. In 1886, Colorado Sen. Henry M. Teller introduced a bill in Congress authorizing construction of the post, and it was signed in February 1887. A little over three acres was set aside in 1889 for a post cemetery. The first recorded burial in the post cemetery was Mable Peterkin, daughter of Private Peterkin, who died on June 28, 1889.

The first soldiers to arrive at the fort were members of the 18th Infantry from Fort Hays and Leavenworth, KS, who immediately set up a temporary barracks and guardhouse while construction began on permanent facilities. The name of the fort, originally known as "the camp near the city of Denver," became Fort Logan in August 1889. General John A. Logan had risen to the rank of Union Army general and commander of volunteer forces during the Civil War. As head of the post-war veteran's organization the Grand Army of the Republic, he issued General Orders No. 11, establishing May 30 as "Decoration Day" to honor the Civil War dead. This later became a national holiday called Memorial Day.

Although 340 acres of land were added to the fort in 1908, by 1909 Fort Logan was reduced to a recruiting depot. This remained its sole function until 1922 when the 38th Infantry was garrisoned at what locals sometimes referred to as "Fort Forgotten." Despite a brief resurgence of activity in the 1930s and early 1940s, Fort Logan closed in May 1946. In 1960, much of the land was deeded to the State of Colorado to establish a state hospital that still operates as the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan. On March 10, 1950, Congress authorized the use of military lands at Fort Logan as a national cemetery, but limited the size to no more than 160 acres. Since that time, the cemetery has expanded from the original 160 acres to 214 acres.

Monuments and Memorials
Fort Logan features a memorial pathway lined with a variety of memorials that honor America's veterans from various organizations. There are 17 memorials at Fort Logan National Cemetery—most commemorating soldiers of various 20th-century wars.

Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 435 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.

» Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:

Major William E. Adams (Vietnam). He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for service in the U.S. Army, A/227th Assault Helicopter Company, 52nd Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade, in recognition of his exceptional skill as a pilot and humanitarian regard for his fellow men. During an attempt to evacuate wounded soldiers, his aircraft was damaged by enemy fire and exploded over Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, May 25, 1971. Adams is buried in Section P, Site 3831.

First Sergeant Maximo Yabes (Vietnam). Maximo Yabes, native of California, enlisted in the U.S. Army ca.1953 and served with Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, during the Vietnam War. On February 26, 1967, First Sergeant Yabes used his body to shield his fellow soldiers from a grenade blast. Although wounded he single-handedly enacted a defensive attack before dying of his wounds. Yabes received the Medal of Honor posthumously on October 31, 1968, and is buried in Section R, Site 369.

Other Burials
There are several Buffalo Soldiers buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery including the following: William Bash; James Holden; Jeremiah Jones; Leon Jones; Arthur McDonald; John N. Norton; Albert Pemberton; Charles W. Praun; James Yancy.

David Benjamin Bolen (World War II). Bolen was born in 1923 in Heflin, Louisiana. He excelled in basketball and track, but focused on track during his time at Southern University in Baton Rouge. His college years were interrupted by two years of service in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war he transferred to the University of Colorado and excelled in track, becoming the university's first athlete to qualify for the Olympics. He narrowly missed medaling in the 400m at the 1948 London Olympics. He was considered one of the fastest American runners of his time and he broke numerous track and field records. Bolen was also an outstanding student. He graduated from Colorado University with an M.A. in 1950. Inspired by personal observations of American diplomats in Europe during his athletic career, Bolen joined the U.S. Foreign Service after college and was appointed to the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia. His next assignment was as economic officer at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan. He received an M.A. in public administration from Harvard in 1960 and continued working for the State Department overseas. President Nixon nominated him to serve concurrently as Ambassador to Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland from February 1974 until April 1976. In 1977 he was serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa when President Carter made him Ambassador to the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Bolen was the first African-American ambassador to a nation behind the Iron Curtain. He transitioned to the private sector in 1981. Among his many awards are the State Department's Superior Service Award.

Fitzroy Newsum was born in New York in 1918 and spent his childhood in Trinidad where he was fascinated with flight. When Newsum returned to the United States he was denied entrance to the U.S. Army Air Corps because he was black. As a result, in February 1939, he enlisted in the New York National Guard and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He chose to attend the Tuskegee pilot-training program rather than pursue officer candidacy. He graduated in 1943 and First Lieutenant Newsum flew with the 477th Bombardment Group. After 1947, with the Air Force, he rose to the rank of colonel and vice commander of the 381st Strategic Missile Wing. Newsum retired in 1970 and was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991. He died January 5, 2013, and is buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery (Section 35, Site 501).

Edward Denetdale Leuppe, a native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on March 26, 1943. Cpl. Leuppe was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II and remained in service until January 22, 1946. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Leuppe's honor was posthumous. He died August 24, 1994 (Section T2, Site 137).

Dorothy L. Starbuck (World War II). Starbuck was born in Colorado in 1917. When World War II started, she earned her commission in the second class of Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) officers in 1942, having already earned a bachelor's degree in journalism. She served overseas as a captain, assigned to the London headquarters of General Dwight Eisenhower and played a key roll in maintaining the security of all documents that came into the headquarters for the European Theater of Operations. She left the service following WWII and began working as a civil servant with the Veterans Administration in 1946. She was appointed as the Chief Benefits Director of the VA in 1977—the first female to hold the office. In 1978, she received the National Civil Service League's prestigious Career Service Award and the AMVETS Silver Helmet-Civil Servant Award. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter presented her with the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Service. She retired in December 1984 after more than 42 years of federal service.

John Werito, a native of New Mexico, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on April 26, 1943. PFC Werito was a Navajo Code Talker in the Pacific Theater during World War II and served until November 28, 1945. He was wounded twice while on tour with the 4th Marine Division, once during the invasion of Iwo Jima. Werito reenlisted in 1947 and until March 1952. In 2001, the Navajo Code Talkers were presented with the Congressional Silver Medal. Werito's honor was posthumous. He died March 29, 1983 (Section S, Site 6665).

Karl Baatz, a German POW who passed away while being held at Fort Logan, was interred in 1943 (Section POW, Site 14).