Memorial Day: 2 Utah veterans' cemeteries ranked among the nation's 'most revered'

SALT LAKE CITY — Arlington National Cemetery.

Gettysburg National Cemetery.

Hawaii's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, aka "The Punchbowl."

For Americans across generations, each of those military burial grounds are regarded as sacred — the final resting places for legions of veterans who fought the nation's wars.

But many other military cemeteries in the country are equally revered — including two in Utah: Fort Douglas Post Cemetery in Salt Lake City and the Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park in Bluffdale.

Choice Mutual, an insurance agency specializing in funeral insurance, recently surveyed 3,000 Americans and asked which military cemeteries they would most like to visit.

They compiled and ranked 97 "Most Revered Veterans' Cemeteries to Visit on Memorial Day."

Several military memorial locales included in the survey findings — including Arlington and Gettysburg — are famous.

Others, less so.

But each cemetery, according to respondents, "carries its own kind of meaning."

Fort Douglas Post Cemetery is ranked No. 39 in the Choice Mutual survey. Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park is No. 85.

Besides enjoying traditional holiday barbecues or maybe a round of golf and other "kick-off-summer" fun, many Utahns on Monday will visit a military cemetery or participate in Memorial Day ceremonies.

Expect both Fort Douglas and Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park to be filled with American flags and grateful visitors throughout the Memorial Day weekend.

For active-duty soldiers such as Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber, Memorial Day remains a day to remember the men and women who invested their lives so generations of Americans can work, play, worship and live freely.

"Every time I think of my friends who paid that ultimate price, I ask myself if their investment was worth it," he told the Deseret News.

"Every time I see kids playing safely at the park, or I hike in the mountains, or fish on public land and enjoy the freedom around me daily, the answer to that question comes clearly to me — it is definitely worth it."

Kroeber hopes all Utahns observe Monday's holiday by remembering that some have given all to ensure liberty for others.

"Think about them and why they were willing to give everything so you could have the freedom to choose how to live your life," he said. "Please continue to be a people and live an idea worth fighting for."

'A shrine' overlooking the Salt Lake Valley

It's likely that many lifelong Salt Lake City residents have never visited the 3.25-acre Fort Douglas Post Cemetery located near the University of Utah.

It was transferred from the U.S. Army to the National Cemetery Administration in 2019, according to the NCA's website.

But there are myriad reasons to spend an hour or two on the memorial grounds, said Fort Douglas Military Museum spokesperson Fiona Robinson.

"It's a historic cemetery for one, with burials going back to 1863," she said. "There's been some real passion put behind the establishment and care of the cemetery here at Fort Douglas."

Camp Douglas was established in 1862 by Colonel Patrick E. Connor of the California Militia. A cemetery site was selected within the camp — with the first committal happening that same year.

The original 1862 plot contained 22 headstones and one large grave marker associated with the 1863 Bear River Massacre, the first military interments here, according to the National Cemetery Administration.

A 20-foot tall monument carved of red butte sandstone located in the center of the cemetery honors the 21 soldiers killed in the Bear River action.

Most of these markers — carved using sandstone from Red Butte Canyon — reportedly deteriorated to the point that they were replaced with government headstones in the early 2000s.

The grave of Utah Territory Gov. James D. Doty features a marker made of the same material.

A 15-foot-tall granite monument in the cemetery's southeast corner was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1933 honoring World War I German prisoners of war who died while interned at Camp Douglas.

Robinson hopes more people include Fort Douglas Post Cemetery in their Memorial Day activities. It's a placid place that's rarely crowded; tucked away from the city and traffic.

"It's not just a cemetery, it's a shrine," she said. "It's a monument to veterans and people who were associated with the military — whether it was a wife who lived here at Fort Douglas, or a civilian worker up here at Fort Douglas."

A sacred space in Salt Lake County's southwest corner

Meanwhile, the survey's 85th-ranked Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park is marking its 35th anniversary.

Dedicated on Memorial Day in 1990, the cemetery is state-operated and located immediately north of Camp Williams in Bluffdale.

The Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park offers a panoramic view of the Wasatch Mountain from a peaceful corner of southwest Salt Lake County.

It is the final resting place for many local veterans and their families.

"Every aspect of the cemetery," according to the cemetery's website, "is a reflection of our respect and appreciation for the sacrifices of those who have served."

A chapel functions as the centerpiece of the cemetery and is available for memorial services.

Meanwhile, the cemetery's administration office houses a collection of military artifacts and American history documents.

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