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  • Riverside National cemetery is home of the Medal of Honor Memorial and one of four sites recognized as a National Medal of Honor Memorial Site. The Medal of Honor Memorial, whose walls feature the names of all medal recipients, is located at the third traffic circle in the cemetery. It was dedicated in 1999.

  • The Fallen Soldier/Veterans' Memorial, erected in 2000, is dedicated to all service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The dramatic bronze structure topped by a lifeless soldier is located near the lake at the entrance to the cemetery.

  • The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action National Memorial was designated as a national memorial by the U.S. Congress in 2004 through Public Law 108-454. The memorial was dedicated on September 16, 2005. Vietnam veteran Lewis Lee Millett, Jr., sculpted the bronze statue which depicts an American serviceman on his knees with hands bound by his captors. The statue is surrounded by black marble pillars that evoke imprisonment.

Important information

Address: 2249 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside, CA.

Latitude: 33.8875989 | Longitude: -117.2799702

Staging Lat/Long: 33.8788978 | -117.2716015

Open for all interments

317,373 Memorials Documented*

125,312 Veteran Memorials Documented*

1,236.77 acres; Largest in VA-NCA system

*Data from FindAGrave.com as of 22-JUL-2024

Riverside National Cemetery

Riverside National Cemetery is the largest and busiest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration. It was established in 1976 through the transfer of 740 acres from March Air Force Base, which during World War II was called the U.S. Army's Camp William G. Haan. The cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials November 11, 1978. An additional 181 acres was transferred by the Air Force in 2003.

Medal of Honor Recipients

  • John H. Balch (World War I)

  • Walter Ehlers (World War II)

  • Lewis L. Millett (Korea)

  • Mitchell Paige (World War II)

  • Ysmael R. Villegas (World War II)

World War II Notables

• George Baker. “The Sad Sack” cartoonist.

• Aaron Bank. Army Special Forces founder.

• Robert Endo. 442nd Veteran.

• Lillian Kinkela Keil. Air Force Nurse.

• Patrick McMahon. Rescued by John F. Kennedy.

• Joe Morris, Sr. Navajo Code Talker.

• Richard Nelson. Enola Gay radio operator.

• Chesley Peterson. R.A.F. pilot.

• Tuskegee Airmen: Kenneth Hawkins, John Hamilton, Charles Jamerson, Charles Ledbetter, Perry Lindsey, John Pulliams, Hackley Woodford.

• USS Indianapolis Survivors: Louis Campbell, Donald Felts, Verne Foster, Jay Glenn, Salvador Vega Maldonaldo, John Olijar.

other notables

  • Melissa Rose Barnes. Sept. 11, 2001 Pentagon attack.

  • Peggy Cartwright & William Walker. Actors in “The Birth of a Nation,” “Our Gang,” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

  • John D. McKeel, Jr. Held hostage in Iran from 1979 to 1981.

  • Lester “Les” Richter. Football Hall of Fame.

  • Woodrow “Woody” Strode. Helped integrate Major League Football and acted in John Ford Westerns.

  • Adelbert Waldron. Army sniper in Vietnam.