As Americans, we’re grateful for the countless sacrifices made by our nation’s Veterans. This profound sense of appreciation is expressed in many different ways, in life and death. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a medallion, by request, to be affixed to an existing, privately purchased headstone or marker to signify the deceased’s status as a Veteran. This device is furnished in lieu of a traditional Government headstone or grave marker for those Veterans whose death occurred on or after Nov. 1, 1990, and whose grave in a private cemetery is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.
Bronze medallions are durable and can be easily affixed to privately purchased headstones by anyone, avoiding headstone or marker setting fees. The medallion also offers a way to identify the grave as that of a Veteran when a cemetery only allows one headstone per grave, preventing the use of a standard VA marker as a footstone. For more information on Headstones, Markers and Medallions, visit: https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hmm/index.asp