Tahoma National Cemetery

Tahoma National Cemetery was established November 11, 1993, and opened for interments on October 1, 1997. The cemetery was dedicated on September 26, 1997. A small expansion project was completed in March 2006. The $6 million project included over 12,000 new columbarium niches, more than 5,000 pre-placed crypts, road improvements, new signage, a third committal shelter and a third funeral cortege lane at the Public Information Center. Phase II of the expansion project was completed in June 2014. The $24 million project included over 14,000 new columbarium niches, more than 9,000 pre-placed crypts, 6,000 in-ground garden cremation sites, two memorial walls and an ossuary. Two new roads for accessing the new burial sections were constructed using permeable asphalt. The three new columbarium complexes contain rain gardens and bio swales to help mitigate the need for storm water runoff and retention ponds.

Monument and Memorials
Tahoma has a memorial walkway containing 36 memorials that commemorate soldiers of various 20th century wars, donated by various service organizations. At the northeast corner of the walkway is the POW-MIA flag. At the southwest corner of the walkway is a carillon that was donated by the U.S. Navy Fleet Reserve Association Seattle branch 18 and was installed in 2010, dedicated to the volunteers of Tahoma National Cemetery.

A Blue Star Memorial is located south of the Public Information Center. The marker was originally part of a banner that families displayed in their homes during the 1940s to signify that they had a loved one fighting in World War II. Today, the marker honors all veterans.

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:

Corporal Jesse T. Barrick (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company H, 3d Minnesota Infantry, for actions near Duck River, TN, May 26 – June 2, 1863. Barrick received a commission as an officer, Company G, 57th U.S. Colored Troops Infantry Regiment, in July 1864; he mustered out of service that October. Second Lieutenant Barrick died in 1923. His remains were interred with full military honors in February 2000, in Section 8, Site 108.

Sergeant Dexter J. Kerstetter (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company C, 130th Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division, for actions near Galiano, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 13, 1945. Kerstetter died in 1972 and is buried in Section 9B, Site 12.

Master Sergeant Wilburn K. Ross (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company G, 30th Infantry, 3d Division, for actions near St. Jacques, France, October 30, 1944. Ross died in 2017 and is buried in Section 28B, Site 479.

Other Burials
GM1 Leo George Allard (World War II). Allard (1922–2025) was one of only a dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor at the time of his death, having served honorably on the USS Reid on December 7, 1941. Allard was from Springfield, MA and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in October 1940 and joined the Reid crew in February 1941. (Section I, Row D, Site 13.)

Sergeant First Class Nathan Ross Chapman was the first American serviceman to die from hostile fire in the war in Afghanistan in 2002. Sergeant Chapman was a communications specialist with the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, WA. (Section 6, Site 33).

Francis Agnes was a former POW (1941–1945), survivor of the Bataan Death March, founder of the Tahoma National Cemetery Support Group (Section 24, Site 717).

Phillip F. Smith was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1932, and he graduated from high school in California at 16. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in September 1949 with tours on USCG Cutters Rhododendron, Bering Strait, and Staten Island. On-shore assignments took him to California, Alaska, and Washington; in Washington's 13th Coast Guard District, Smith became one of the first Senior Enlisted Advisors. He served as the Second Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard from 1973 to 1977, when he retired. MCPOCG Smith's advocacy for the Coast Guard's Senior Enlisted Leader program continues to influence the service in the changes he made on behalf of enlisted men. He died June 22, 2017, and is buried in Tahoma National Cemetery (Section 30B, Site 126).

Mary Jean Sturdevant was born September 28, 1921, in Oregon. The high school valedictorian then became one of three women to join the civilian pilot program at Southern Oregon University. Upon graduation she became an instructor and trained Army Air Corps cadets. Sturdevant was accepted into the Women Airforce (sic) Service Pilots (WASP) program but her value as an instructor was more important. Stationed at Merced (CA), she flew Army AT-6s and BT-13s and taught male pilots to fly until the WASP program ended in 1945. In 1977 WASPs were recognized as veterans, and in 2009 they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Pilot Sturdevant died June 24, 2017. She is buried in Tahoma National Cemetery (Section FI, Row B, Niche 3).