Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.

Visitation Hours: Open daily from dawn until dusk.

Biloxi National Cemetery is located in Harrison County, about five miles west of the center of Biloxi on the grounds of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and adjacent to the Keesler Field Air Force Base in Mississippi.

The cemetery was established in March 1934 as part of the VA Medical Center. Biloxi Cemetery's first burial was held on March 24,1934, with the interment of Private Edgar A. Ross, 1st Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry.

From 1934 to 1973 the purpose of Biloxi Cemetery was to provide a final resting place solely for veterans who died in the adjoining medical center. The allocation of cemetery space in Biloxi remained restricted until the passage of the 1973 National Cemetery Act, which opened the cemetery to all honorably discharged veterans and their dependents, active duty personnel and their dependents regardless of home of residence or where death occurred. The first interment after the facility was designated Biloxi National Cemetery was Chief Master Sergeant Robert E. Callender, U.S. Air Force.

Since its establishment in 1934, Biloxi's has increased in size twice as the result of land transfers from the VAMC. In 1982, 17 acres were added to the original 25 and, in 1996, 12 more were added for a total of 54 acres.

Monuments and Memorials

Biloxi National Cemetery Monument is approximately 30 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter; it was erected in May 1941 to commemorate all who have served their country.

A square granite marker located around the main flag pole was donated by the National Association of Atomic Veterans on Nov. 9, 1990, in memory of veterans who participated in the U.S. nuclear weapons testing program.

A square granite marker located around the main flag pole was donated by the US Navy Seabees on July 1, 2010, in memory of veterans who served as US Navy Seabees.

A memorial plaque with an original poem by First Lieutenant William S. Haynie, U.S. Marine Corps, titled "This Hollowed Place" was donated in conjunction with American Legion Post 119 in Gulfport, Miss.

Medal of Honor Recipients

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the president on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and eligibility criteria for the Medal of Honor have changed over time.

Recipients buried or memorialized here:

Colonel Ira C. Welborn (Spanish-American War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, 9th U.S. Infantry, for actions in Santiago, Cuba, July 2, 1898. Welborn died in 1956 and is buried in Section 12, Row 4, Site 12.

Other Burials

Six unknown soldiers who served in the Mexican-American War are buried in Section H, grave 4 and 5, and Section DD, graves 25, 26, 27 and 28. They were reinterred at Biloxi National Cemetery on Veterans Day 1989 and Memorial Day 2010, respectively. These soldiers died at Camp Jefferson Davis on Greenwood Island in 1848. The camp was established as a homecoming port for soldiers returning to the United States from the Mexican-American War. The burials became visible on the island as a result of beach erosion. Archaeological efforts in the late 1970s-1980s and again in 2008-2009 resulted in the identification of the men as U.S soldiers.