Officials are considering implementing some harsh restrictions as space at the Arlington National Cemetery begins to dwindle.
You’d think our nation’s most revered military cemetery wouldn’t be the center of so much controversy. Yet, in 2010, the Arlington National Cemetery was seemingly bombarded with one scandal after another, including unmarked graves, a slew of errors found on cemetery maps, and an unaccounted-for $12 million that resulted in the resignation of both the superintendent and deputy superintendent of the cemetery. Now, the hallowed ground is investigating ways it can overcome an inevitable problem: severe lack of space. Established in 1864, the Arlington National Cemetery was initially conceived in response to an overabundance of casualties resulting from the Civil War. Over 150 years later, the site now retains just 100,000 burial spaces. While that number isn’t what you may normally consider "insignificant," it’s dwarfed by the current veteran population, which has risen above 20 million. [caption id="attachment_6939" align="aligncenter" width="411"]
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The Senate Appropriations Committee came together nearly one year ago to discuss solutions for the Army cemetery’s dwindling availability. Serving as the final resting place of over 400,000 Americans, the site is estimated to reach full capacity within the next 22 years -- meaning veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and those after who live to their normal life expectancy will be denied burial at Arlington.
While two expansion projects are now underway, the executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries, Karen Durham-Aguilera, has said this solution could only fend off the cemetery’s diminishing space until the 2040s, or '50s. As a result, representatives have concluded the only approach that could extend the site’s life long-term would be to regulate those who would be considered eligible more strictly -- a decision that has received mixed feedback from respondents.
For the most part, the majority of participants in a recent survey were in agreement that eligibility should continue to be extended to decorated veterans, prisoners of war, and those killed in action or otherwise wounded while serving on active duty. This revision alone could extend the cemetery’s longevity to the year 2200.
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Do you think officials should use tighter restrictions to save space at the Arlington National Cemetery? Let us know in the comments!
