National Cemetery to hold public open house
Miramar National Cemetery, a federal military cemetery, will hold an open house Saturday for veterans and their families along with the general public.
Veterans Affairs staff and volunteers will be there to give information and answer questions about VA benefits for veterans and their family members. Visitors can also take a riding tour of the cemetery, which is at the northwest corner of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
The event, in partnership with the Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Benefits Administration, will have a VA Mobile Vet Center there to offer counseling services and general VA benefit information.
Representatives are scheduled to come from the Miramar Cemetery Support Foundation; the offices of U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, DSan Diego; and Kimberly Mitchell, senior adviser, Veterans Services Organization Liaison for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; VA Legacy Program; National Cemetery Administration; and San Diego Honor Flight, among others. Miramar is part of the National Cemetery System, established 50 years ago in September 1973, after President Richard Nixon signed the National Cemetery Act creating the National Cemetery System on June 18 that year.
The Miramar cemetery was dedicated in 2010 and is one of 155 national cemeteries across the country. It provides gravesite and columbarium facilities and burial alternatives to roughly 235,000 veterans in San Diego County, according to the National Cemetery Administration.
The open house is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Miramar National Cemetery, 5795 Nobel Drive. No registration is required. For more information, visit cem.va.gov/cems/ nchp/miramar.asp.