When Will Arlington Cemetery Run Out of Space?

and turning it into a military burial ground. Private William Christman, a one year old soldier from Pennsylvania who died of the measles before he got a chance to see combat, was the first to be buried there, according to the Arlington National Cemetery website. Though neither Robert E. Lee nor his wife ever tried to return to the former plantation, their eldest son eventually filed a lawsuit claiming the land

had been illegally seized. In an eighteen eighty two decision, the U Supreme Court agreed and Congress had to purchase the property from him for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars so that the National Cemetery could continue in the

years that followed. Arlington National Cemetery, which cover six hundred and twenty four acres that's two hundred and fifty two hectors across the Potomac River from Washington, d C. Became perhaps the nation's most hallowed ground, the final resting place for many of the nation's military heroes, from General Douglas MacArthur and Private Addi Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War Two, two service members killed in the recent

conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also buried at Arlington are explorers, astronauts, and Supreme Court justices. The grave of President John F. Kennedy, marked with a gas and electric eternal flame that's designed to remain lighted despite wind and rain, attracted more than sixteen million mourners in the first three years after his

nineteen sixty three assassination. But the cemetery, which has become the final resting place for more than four hundred thousand people, is rapidly filling up, with more than seven thousand being added each year. According to a report prepared by cemetery officials for Congress in twenty seventeen, there are fewer than seventy thousand spaces left, and even with the current expansion project that will add nearly eleven thousand below ground graves

and sixteen thousand, four hundred above ground spots. The cemetery is projected to be full by the early twenty forties. The report said, A and C and those it exists to serve, must therefore confront the reality that at some point in the future the cemetery will no longer continue

to operate as it does today. Most veterans from the recent wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War on Terrorism will not have the option to be buried at A and C. Even our heroes who are killed in action or those who have earned the Medal of Honor will not be buried at A and C with an approximately three decades due to a lack of space. At a March twenty eighteen hearing by the House Armed Services Committee, Karen Durham aquilera executive director of the Army's National Military Cemeteries,

further described the predicament. She explained in an Army media release, the current veteran population is over twenty million, The retiree population is over two million. The total force, both active and reserve, is over two million. Right now today, we have around a hundred thousand available burials basis, we cannot

serve that population. Even a proposed two hundred and seventy four million dollar expansion that would add another thirty eight acres that's fifteen hectors along the cemetery southern border would only buy an additional decade. That's why officials are now

contemplating changing Arlington's eligibility requirements. Under the present rules, active duty members of the Armed services, as well as service members who have served at least one day of active duty and stayed in uniform long enough traditionally twenty years to earn retirement benefits, are eligible for below ground burial. So are their spouses and children, and so our recipients of various medals and prisoners of war who died after

November thirtieth. In addition, active duty and retired members and their spouses and children, as well as reservists and National Guard members who die while on active duty or performing full time service, are eligible for above ground burial in the columbarium, also known as the Niche Wall. In the seen report, Army officials proposed a range of possible rule changes. The most restrictive option would allow in only those who were killed in action and or were awarded the Medal

of Honor. The report said this option can be expected to result in delaying the closure of a C for at least two centuries unless our nation experiences large scale conflict and higher numbers of service members killed in action. But such a move also would exclude the vast majority of military veterans and their families and seems likely to

encounter a pushback. Girardo of Vila, a deputy director of a veterans association called the American Legion, says that the issue of what to do about Arlington is still in the discussion stages, though clearly Arlington is reaching capacity and

something needs to be done. In a resolution at the American Legions twenty sixteen convention, the organization urged Congress to step in and pass a law that would limit Arlington to service members who die on active duty, winners of the Medal of Honor and other decorations, World War Two era veterans who left the service, thirty or more, disabled, prisoners of war, and career service members. We spoke via email with John Towell's director of National Security and Foreign

Affairs for the organization a Veterans of Foreign Wars. The group is opposed to severe restrictions on eligibility for interment at Arlington. He said, we advocate for a solution that will ensure that the benefits that they earned through their service remain available to them. Because of this, the VFW cannot support changes that would take benefits away from veterans and family members who have already earned them, many of whom have already made plans to be buried at Arlington.

Another option to restricting eligibility for Arlington would be to create a non contiguous annex on land around the Armed Forces Retirement Home Campus in Washington, d C. About eight and a half miles that's thirteen and a half kilometers away.

Table said that much of the site's expanse would be available the United States Soldiers and Airmen's Home National Cemetery, another burial ground operated by the Army, already is nearby, but if it becomes more difficult to be buried at Arlington, veterans still have the option of being buried at another of the hundred and thirty five national cemeteries that the National Cemetery Administration operates in forty States and Puerto Rico.

They would still be entitled to the same ceremony, presidential memorial certificate, and perpetual care of their graves that those interred at Arlington received. Today's episode was written by Patrick J. Tiger and produced by Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots of other honorable topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com