Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
 Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Memorial Day, 2010. |
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1926 |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 29°28′33″N 98°25′52″W / 29.475862°N 98.431041°W |
| Type | United States National Cemetery |
| Size | 154.7 acres (62.6 ha) |
| Number of graves | 121,000 |
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. It encompasses 154.7 acres (62.6 ha), and as of the end of 2008, had 120,982 interments.[1]
Contents |
History [edit]
Although the Army post in the area was established in 1875, and construction of Fort Sam Houston was constructed the following year no burials were made in the area that is currently the cemetery until 1926. In 1931 an additional 60 acres (24 ha) were added, and it was considered to be an addition to San Antonio National Cemetery. In 1937, it was made a National Cemetery in its own right and renamed to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. In 1947 several other Forts in Texas, including Fort McIntosh, were closed and their cemetery interments were transferred to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Interred at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery are 140 axis prisoners of war (POWs) from World War II who Died in captivity. 133 are German, 4 are Italian, and 3 are Japanese. After the end of hostilities most POWs who died in captivity were returned to their respective countries, these 140 were disinterred from various Texas prisoner of war camps and reburied at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Of these POW's who are buried at Fort Sam Houston, one is Hugo Krauss who was murdered by fellow Nazi POW's in Camp Hearne in 1943. When originally interred these graves were isolated from the American graves. There are two graves that have been erroneously documented as "Nazi" graves because they have been marked with the Knight's Cross and a pro-nazi slogan on the headstone, the Knight's Cross markings merely represent that these two soldiers were at one time awarded the Knight's Cross, one Germany's highest awards. These soldiers were probably members of Germany's famed "Afrika Korps" who were taken prisoner in North Afrika.
Notable interments [edit]
- Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Colonel Doc Blanchard, Heisman Trophy winner for 1945
- Lieutenant General Roscoe B. Woodruff, World War II commander of 77th and 24th Infantry Divisions and VII Corps in both European and Pacific theaters.
- Colonel Charlie Beckwith Creator of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force).
- Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
- Colonel Cecil Hamilton Bolton, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Staff Sergeant William J. Bordelon, Medal of Honor recipient for action at the Battle of Tarawa in World War II.
- Lieutenant General Charles P. Hall, commanded the 93rd Infantry Division and XI Corps in World War II.
- Platoon Sergeant William George Harrell, Medal of Honor recipient for action at Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
- General Henry I. Hodes, U.S. Army four-star general
- Second Lieutenant Lloyd Herbert Hughes, Medal of Honor recipient for action in Operation Tidal Wave in World War II.
- Major General Harry H. Johnson, commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division and 93rd Infantry Division during World War 2.
- Private Milton A. Lee, Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
- Sergeant First Class Jose M. Lopez, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Captain William Randolph, namesake of Randolph Air Force Base.
- First Lieutenant James E. Robinson, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient for action in World War II.
- Chief Warrant Officer Louis R. Rocco, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Vietnam War.
- Master Sergeant Cleto Luna Rodriguez, Medal of Honor recipient for action in World war II.
- Frank Tejeda, US Congressman.
- Colonel Seth Lathrop Weld, Medal of Honor recipient for action in the Philippine-American War.
- Colonel Gerald Evan Williams, Commander of the 391st Bombardment Group, 1943-1945
- 27 Buffalo Soldiers who served during the Indian Wars.
- 140 Axis prisoners of war from World War II.
- 3 British airmen from World War II.[2]
Notable civilians [edit]
- Robert Gottschall (1915-2005). Actor. Section CAA Site 61.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Department of Veteran Affairs website
- ^ [1] CWGC Cemetery report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record.
