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The Army is proposing new rules on who can be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The changes, announced by Acting Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy, are aimed at extending the life of the cemetery. Under the current rules, the cemetery would run out of funerary spaces in the mid-2050s. The new procedures would extend this life span by 150 years.
"The harsh reality is that we lack space." Keeping Arlington National Cemetery open and allowing it to stay active well in the future means we have to make tough decisions. which limit eligibility, "said the executive director of National Military Cemeteries of the Army and Arlington National Cemetery. Karen Durham-Aguilera.
At present, almost all 22 million forced members and live armed veterans are eligible for burial in Arlington, although there remains less than 95,000 spaces available.
The new plans provide for 1,000 burials for current and future Medal of Honor recipients. This would limit underground burials for those killed in combat, including repatriated remnants of members of the military service; the recipients of the Silver Star and Above who served in combat; Purple Heart recipients; deaths related to military service during "exclusively military activities"; former prisoners of war; and presidents and vice-presidents of the United States
Burials in the soil would also be allowed for veterans who served in the army who also served outside the uniform as a government official and "made a significant contribution to the security of the nation at the highest levels of the public service ".
Ground burial criteria for cremated remains would be extended to veterans of the Second World War; retired members of the armed forces who are eligible for a retirement allowance but are not eligible for an interment; and veterans who have served at least two years on active duty and have served in combat.
The rules, which are yet to be published in the Federal Register, would be implemented in about nine months.
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