New hope for blighted Delta military cemetery

MARE ISLAND — The oldest military cemetery on the West Coast is falling into a bleak state of disrepair.

Designed as a place of honor, neglect has turned it into a blight on the memories of those who fought in The War of 1812 and many other bloody battles. The Mare Island Naval Cemetery’s headstones are broken or toppled due to poor drainage, sinking soils and the ravages of time. Its quaint white picket fence is crumbling.

Now there’s hope for the sacred site, maintained for decades by volunteers and the cash-strapped city of Vallejo. Newly proposed legislation would transfer control to the Veterans Administration National Cemetery Administration — elevating the spot to a national shrine.

But the effort needs broader support to succeed.

“If we love our veterans, we need to take care of them,” said Nestor Aliga, 63, a volunteer and retired Army colonel who is leading the campaign for federal adoption of the cemetery. “This is a disgrace.”

A 9 a.m. Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery aims to bolster support. The featured speaker is Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, who has introduced legislation (H.R. 5588) which directs the VA secretary to reach an agreement with Vallejo for the transfer and maintenance of the cemetery. On May 17 Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, introduced a companion bill (S. 2881) that Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, is cosponsoring.

The trajectory of the 160year-old cemetery mirrors the history of Mare Island itself, the first naval base on the West Coast and a oncebustling place that built destroyers, submarines and landing craft.