History
RNC was established in 1976 through the transfer of 740 acres (300 ha) from March Air Force Base, a section that during World War II was called Camp William G. Haan. During WWII, Camp Haan was used as a training base for coast artillery and anti-aircraft and also housed a prisoner-of-war camp for captured Italian soldiers.
The site was selected in 1976 to provide full burial options for Southern California veterans and their families by President Ford’s Commission for National Cemeteries and Monuments. The cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials November 11, 1978. An additional 181 acres (73 ha) was transferred by the U.S. Air Force in 2003.
With 15 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance and the Marine Corps’ greatest fighter ace Joe Foss as featured speaker, RNC was dedicated and opened for burials Veterans Day, November 11, 1978. RNC’s first burial was Army Staff Sgt. Ysmael Villegas, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery at the cost of his own life at Villa Verde Trail on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, March 20, 1945. He was originally buried on Luzon, but was later transferred to Olivewood Cemetery in his hometown of Riverside, Calif. Prior to the opening of RNC, the Veterans Administration asked the Villegas family if he could be moved again and be honored by burial in the new National Cemetery.
The dramatic, meandering landscape features a central boulevard with memorial circles, lakes, indigenous-styled committal shelters, and a memorial amphitheater.
Military funeral honors are provided for eligible veterans by military honor guards from each branch of service, by the California National Guard, and by several volunteer teams collectively known as the Memorial Honor Detail or MHD upon request of family members through their funeral home.
Read more about this topic: Riverside National Cemetery
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