Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield

Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield
Enclosed shelter has two attached columbarium walls. 

Out of respect, one stands a little taller, and speak more softly when standing among the gleaming white headstones of fallen and other veterans buried in a military cemetery.  The Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield is located on 65 acres along scenic Crowley’s Ridge in the upper Missouri Bootheel. The cemetery sits on low rolling hills.  The first burial occurred on September 29, 2003. The cemetery has a capacity of 27,000 gravesites.  Mr. Stan Baughn of the Missouri Veteran Cemetery Commission told me that 2,964 burials were performed as of March 31, 2017. Of those, 2,116 were burials and 848 were cremations interred in the columbarium walls.  A shelter holds 8000 niches for the interment of cremated remains. To walk among enlisted men and officers side by side is inspirational.  To reach this peaceful cemetery from US Highway 60, take the Highway 25 North exit toward Bloomfield. Travel approximately 4 miles north and the cemetery is on the west side of Highway 25, at 17357 Stars and Stripes Way, Bloomfield, Missouri.

An enclosed and heated shelter is used for internment services. The tastefully finished permanent shelter is used for the sacramental portion of burial services.  It is flanked by two columbarium walls for the interment of cremains, and a flag pole area which makes a plaza.  Other formal memorial ceremonies are conducted on the plaza.  A small lake containing a red, white, and blue-lit fountain is encircled by a walking path on the south end of the cemetery.  Throughout the cemetery, visitors find granite memorial benches for rest and reflection.

The Veterans Cemetery program operates to honor our Veterans for their service and sacrifice.  Missouri Veterans Commission has created a network of Veterans cemeteries so that every Missouri Veteran will have reasonable access to a Veterans cemetery.  Five cemeteries are in operation at this time:

·                  Bloomfield 

·                  Ft. Leonard Wood 

·                  Higginsville

·                  Jacksonville

·                  Springfield 

Eligibility criteria for burial in a Missouri Veterans Cemetery are the same as that in a national cemetery.  It is not surprising that any Veteran convicted of a federal or state capital crime is barred from burial in a Missouri State Veterans Cemetery. This prohibition also includes those Veterans who commit capital crimes but avoid conviction due to death or flight.

Did you know spouses are buried in veteran cemeteries too?  Burial services are provided to Veterans, their spouses, and eligible dependent children.  Veteran benefits include a concrete grave liner, upright granite headstones, full military honors for the Veteran, and perpetual care. Those who choose cremation, have the choice of in-ground burial or placement within a columbarium niche.  Interment services are conducted Monday through Friday at hourly intervals. The funeral home and Veterans Cemetery coordinate the scheduling of services. 

On leaving the veterans cemetery, you may want to visit the Stars and Stripes Museum and see the original military newspaper printed in 1861.  The museum and cemetery share the same access road.  Another point of interest is a short distance away.  The Stoddard County Confederate Memorial was research and constructed by a group of passionate residences, spearheaded by Larry Arnold in 1992.  The project was completed in 2002.  When you leave the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery, you turn left (north) on Highway 25. At the four-way stop in Bloomfield, you turn right (East) on State Highway E. You go up the road approximately .2 of a mile and turn right on Country Road 517. The cemetery is on the left.

There are markers for 152 soldiers, nine civilians ‘political prisoners’ who died in prison at Alton, Illinois, plus 22 non-Stoddard Countians buried in this Memorial, and one Union soldier.  The interesting difference about this cemetery from other military cemeteries is the inscriptions on the back side of each headstone telling how and where the soldier died. This difference of the inscription on the back makes one think more about that soldier’s experience, and to appreciate his sacrifice.  Every soldier buried here, as did many buried in the Bloomfield Missouri Veteran Cemetery across town, paid the ultimate price for freedom, and for the veterans who survived, they returned home changed men by the horrific experience. 

My husband Tom and I visited both cemeteries and the Stars and Stripes Museum in 2005.  It was a sad, humbling, and moving experience to walk among the graves and to think of the horror that those men must have gone through in battle.  Soldiers of every war fought bravely and with pride for what they believed. These markers represent our ancestors, who earned our honor and respect.  Memorial Day would be a good day to drive to Bloomfield and to visit all three sites mentioned here.

Next week, will cover a family member who lived in another era.  Join me next week, and thank you for visiting today.