Willamette National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located about southeast of the city of Portland, Oregon. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses straddling the county line between Multnomah and Clackamas Counties. As of 2021, there had been 188,000 interments. It is one of three national cemeteries in Oregon (the other two being Roseburg and Eagle Point). On July 5, 2016, the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Plans to create a military cemetery in the Portland area started as early as 1941, and Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill to establish a national cemetery, but the necessary money to acquire the land was never allocated. Finally, in 1949 the state of Oregon donated of land for the establishment of a National Cemetery. Construction was completed in 1950, and Willamette National Cemetery was officially opened on December 14 that year. The first interment did not take place until 1951. In 1952, another of land were donated to the cemetery.

Willamette National Cemetery

Willamette National Cemetery is a Blue Star Memorial Highway site.

Willamette National Cemetery

Notable monuments

A Korean War Memorial, dedicated to the 283 people from Oregon who fought and died in that war.

Willamette National Cemetery

Notable interments

Medal of Honor recipients

Lieutenant Colonel Stanley T. Adams (1922–1999), for action in the Korean War

First Lieutenant Arnold L. Bjorklund (1918–1979), for action in World War II

Specialist Larry G. Dahl (1949–1971), for action in the Vietnam War

Sergeant First Class Loren R. Kaufman (1923–1951), for action in the Korean War

Others

Alexander G. Barry (1892–1952), United States Senator

Carson Bigbee (1895–1964), Major League Baseball player

Milt Davis (1929–2008), professional football player

George Freese (1926–2014), Major League Baseball player

Mark Hatfield (1922–2011), U.S. Senator and Governor of Oregon

Scott Leavitt (1879–1966), U.S. Representative from Montana

Donald Malarkey (1921–2017), World War II veteran

Thomas E. Martin (1893–1971), U.S. Representative and Senator from Iowa

Kenneth L. Reusser (1920–2009), United States Marine Corps aviator

Homer Norman Wallin (1893–1984), United States Navy admiral

References

External links

National Cemetery Administration

Willamette National Cemetery

1949 establishments in Oregon

Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon

Historic American Landscapes Survey in Oregon

Lents, Portland, Oregon

Protected areas of Clackamas County, Oregon

Protected areas of Multnomah County, Oregon

National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County, Oregon

National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon

United States national cemeteries