Tahoma National Cemetery

Tahoma National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Kent, in King County, Washington. It encompasses 158.3 acres (64.1 ha), and as of the end of 2019, had over 60,000 interments, compared to the end of 2008 with 23,479 interments, and 15,924 interments in 2005. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it is the only national cemetery in the state of Washington.[1]

Tahoma National Cemetery
Details
Established1993
Location
Kent, Washington
CountryUnited States
Coordinates47°23′33″N 122°05′47″W
TypeUnited States National Cemetery
Size158.3 acres (64.1 ha)
No. of interments41,000
WebsiteOfficial
Find a GraveTahoma National Cemetery

History

Tahoma National Cemetery was established by the Department of Veteran Affairs on November 11, 1993, purchasing 160 acres (65 ha) from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for $1.6 million. It was intended to house 13,000 graves and reach capacity by 2040.[2] Congress approved $10.6 million in funding to build the cemetery in 1994 and design work began the following year.[3] The cemetery was dedicated on September 26, 1997, and opened for interments on October 1.[4][5]

Until Tahoma was completed, Washington was one of eleven states without a national cemetery; the closest had been the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon, where some Washingtonians were buried.[6] A second Washington national cemetery was proposed in 2006 for the Spokane area.[7]

A second phase of construction was completed in 2005.

Noteworthy monuments
  • The Blue Star Memorial, a traditional service flag monument dedicated to all veterans.

Notable interments

References
  1. Collins, Cary (2014-03-04). "Edward Claplanhoo's Lifetime of Service". Voice of the Valley. Archived from the original on 2014-03-16. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  2. Aweeka, Charles (November 19, 1993). "State's veterans await new national cemetery in South King County". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  3. "Money OK'd for national cemetery". The Seattle Times. June 30, 1994. p. B2.
  4. Henderson, Diedtra (May 26, 1997). "At long last, a final resting place". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  5. Whyte, Murray (September 27, 1997). "Local veterans given a national cemetery". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  6. Westneat, Danny (October 3, 1995). "Tahoma site of new veterans cemetery". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
  7. "5 sites eyed for Spokane military cemetery". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. January 24, 2006. p. B5.
  8. Dickerson, Paige (2010-03-17). "Ed Claplanhoo dies at age 81; Makah elder's legacy includes deeds for tribe, veterans". Peninsula Daily News. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
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