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Eric Gay / AP
A flag sticks out of a new gravesite at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Tuesday, Jan. 24, in San Antonio.
The Department of Veterans Affairs found 123 burial problems at military cemeteries across the country, including cases of misplaced headstones and at least eight cases of people buried in the wrong gravesites at several cemeteries, according to a review by the department's National Cemetery Administration.
The findings come just months after revelations of prevalent burial problems, including misplaced remains, at the Army-run Arlington National Cemetery.
The Washington Post first revealed the details of the VA audit on Monday.
While many of the problems at Arlington were caused by an old paper-record system, the problems found at seven Veterans Affairs cemeteries across the country resulted from sloppiness during renovations, the review found. In some cases, headstones were removed temporarily and replaced one plot away or in different burial sections from the correct grave site, including at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in Texas and Dayton National Cemetery in Ohio.
Veterans Affairs spokesman Gary Tallman said grave markers were removed by contractors who installed fresh turf to repair the damage caused by soil erosion or ground shifting. Headstones were shifted when contractors returned them to the gravesites. As a result of the mismarked graves, family members of veterans were incorrectly placed in the wrong gravesite.
The VA did not release the names of the families affected to protect their privacy. Tallman said the department has contacted or will be contacting them to apologize.
"We shouldn't be making errors," he told msnbc.com. Tallman added that at no point were any of the remains improperly handled.
To prevent similar problems in the future, contractors will be required by the VA to leave the markers lying horizontally at the gravesite rather than remove them during renovation work. Officials also said gravesites and their surroundings will continue to be regularly inspected.
The VA conducted its audit in 85 of its 131 cemeteries, reviewing 1.3 million headstones and markers. Tallman said the 123 problems represent only a tiny percentage, given the scope of the audit.
"We certainly would desire all the numbers be zero," Tallman said, "but unfortunately that was not the case."
The final report will be released once the Golden Gate and San Francisco National Cemeteries have completed their reviews.
The audit was launched after employees of the National Cemetery Association found in July 2011 that a contractor at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery had shifted 47 headstones one plot away from the correct gravesite. Four family members of veterans were incorrectly placed in the adjacent gravesite as a result.
Cemetery staff notified the families affected and, in October 2011, reset the 47 headstones and relocated the incorrect burials. Similar corrective actions were taken or will be taken at the other cemeteries involved in the audit: Dayton National Cemetery in Ohio, Santa Fe National Cemetery in New Mexico, Beverly National Cemetery in New Jersey, Loudon Park National Cemetery in Baltimore, Philadelphia National Cemetery in Pennsylvania and Houston National Cemetery in Texas.
Following the revelations of widespread burial problems at Arlington, some members of Congress had called for the transfer of the cemetery to the VA.
A recent review of nearly 260,000 grave markers at Arlington revealed no further evidence of misplaced or misidentified gravesites.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
Leave a Comment:
Seriously, who cares? They're dead. Put flowers wherever. They don't care.
Shame on you! These people served our nation and some died for their country. And this is your attitude? Shameful!!! You must have never served or did not have a family member who did.
I would be highly upset if any member of my family (4 generations have served in times of war) was not buried where he was suppose to be buried or if his tombstone was moved, etc.
jh-764 - You are a simple person with a simple mind. You should show more respect for the men and women that died to protect your freedom.
A collapser is the third grade hallway monitor who has grown into a resentful, useless old fart with no logical argument to offer.
jh-764610 I know you can't read this but @!$%# you!!!!!
jh-764610- i hope once you pass away that they mark your burial spot correctly, that way i can piss on your grave
Not only is this shameful, it is also shameful how poorly the LIVING ones are being treated at VA medical facilities because of overcrowding. And this is spoken from first hand experience.
Seriously, the surviving family members care. That includes me and my mother. Her husband, my father, was a 33 year navy officer veteran and is buried in at Quantico. She has a brother killed at Pearl Harbor buried at Arlington. So yes, seriously, people care!
A question of interest: these problems occured during turf renovations performed by contractors. The lawn care-turf care companies in my area are manned mostly by Hispanics (Mexicans) who may not be very fluent in English. Was that the case with these cemetary contractors? Or were the workers not well supervised and didn't care as long as they put the markers someplace?
There was no excuse for this happening.
Oh I care very much also. My father mother uncles, cousins and ultimately one day myself and my wife will be put to rest in one.
What I don't care for is throwing in a comment like you did that is political in nature,with regards to a problem that is in the VA system. I know some Hispanics(Mexicans) and Puerto Ricans and others ,who could not speak English very well that are buried in our National Cemeteries.
It is the VAs responsibility to supervise who ever is contracted t do this work.
Active and reservist military personnel and former veterans should be the only ones hired to take care of VA cemeteries.
@NightHawk
Both Mexican and Puerto Rican people are allowed to serve in the US Military. Not to be glib, but I know Americans who do not speak English "very well," and it's their mother tongue. I don't think it should matter what country a person comes from, if they serve in the American Military, they should be honored just like an American Veteran. You are correct that "Mexicans" are buried in Military cemeteries - just like they should be, they died for a country they loved and hoped to be a part of one day.
http://www.joegrossberg.com/archives/000534.html
That said, while these mistakes should not happen - it's good to see that they are reviewing the burials to make them correct.
My heart goes out to the families that have to bury their loved one a second time - that should not ever happen to anyone.
@Black Kettle - I don't think Nighthawk meant that offensively. I think you missed his point, that he knew Hispanics who served and/or were killed in combat and are therefore (deservedly) buried in National Cemetaries. The "don't speak English very well" was not meant as a slanderous remark, but just to contradict BW's statement that people who don't care because they're not from here are maintaining the graves.
Thank you MattyG - are probably correct - I only read the first paragraph of BW - I suppose I should redirect my comment at that person. Thank you for your correction.
I apologize NightHawk for misunderstanding your post.
A simular thing happened with my brothers grave, now everytime I visit it is allways in my mind am I in the right place, it leaves a constant doubt in your mind
Black Kettle & Sand Creek...lest we forget
MattyG is correct. But don't worry no harm no foul. We all make mistakes.
poor management and oversight -- shameful!!!
Yes, this is shameful and should never have happened.
jh-764610 I know you can read this but you know what it sas @!$%# you!!!!
jh-764610, you disrespectful little Sh!t, those people fought and died for our freedom, saved us from a horrible world that you should be cast into. Go live in fücking iran, nobody cares about you
Those 'people' fought for our freedoms and you want to dishonor them by telling another American to leave the country because you don't like what they say. Sad.
It's the government it can't do anything correct anymore. For every worker they have 12 administrative people who job is just screw the worker
Agreed.
"Anymore"? The government always made these mistakes, you're just more likely to hear about them now. You'd be well advised to keep that in mind in terms of other things that may be handling/mishandling.
In the case of the Fort Sam problem, the headstones were temporarily removed, stored away from the grave and not returned to the correct location. The local news is reporting that from now on when the leveling operation needs to be performed the headstone will be removed however it will be placed on the grave and not stored in a separate area.
Wow I feel better already knowing that there will not be any more mistakes.
Retired USAF::: I hope that my parents' headstone was not lost! I hope that things have gotten straightened out. It is a shame that it happened, but maybe the problem has been solved.
Thank you for your service.
Ah private [for profit] military contractors. First our schools then the prisons now our graves.
This is how they treat our deceased heros and we should trust them with our healthcare?
You are 100% correct. Can you just imagine the screw-ups like we thought we sent that patient home you mean they died in room 3? Yeah I ordered a shot for her but not that one or well you were close. Your left arm I thought you had a problem with your right leg, the one we removed? Sorry but the emergency room is busy today can you hold a compress over the bullet wounds and come back in a couple of days? What happened to the pregnant lady in room 78, she had her baby without telling us?
Get real. It's not like you have government employees providing the health care. It's civilian businesses who are doing that. Pathetic attempt to polarize people against the government.
"This is how they treat our deceased heros and we should trust them with our healthcare?"
DUMBEST COMMENT!!! the Government isn't doing your healthcare DUMBASS!! Regardless of what FOX TELLS YOU!!! The Government has no part of it! other to make sure everyone has insurance and the Companies cant GOUGE everyone!! GET A LIFE! everyone here that bitches about it can get one too!! you sound very UNEDUCATED!!!!
BTW..The Majority of this happened under BUSH!!! Its started in 2005!!! Learn the facts before speading your BS!
ITS NOT SOCIALIZED MEDICINE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THESE 4 IDIOTS RUNNING TELL YOU!! THERE THE PROBLEM!! THERE THE ONES THAT SCREWED THIS COUNTRY UP!!
If you want to see what government oversight of health care looks like, all you have to do is visit a VA hospital or an Indian reservation.
Or a prison Denver...
Grumble 75, before you call someone names, count the number of government employees at a VA. When the government legisilates healthcare, that's the type of healthcare you will receive. Are they all bad, heck no, but the red tape they slog through causes delays and errors.
And please don't try to explain Obamacare to me, until you have actually read it. Have you? Has anybody? Be leary of any law the Congress will "have to pass it to see what's in it". Especially one so well received that half the states in the union are suing to get it removed.
As to Obama...nice fellow, smart fellow, but the epitome of why you don't promote a new, mid-level manager into the CEO position of a huge organization.
Considering the US Dept of Veterans Affairs comprises 131 Cemeteries with 3.1 MILLION graves, I am not surprised that errors are occurring. Is a 0% error rate possible? No, I don't think so. Is it sad, and hard on those effected: yes. Is this being blown a bit out of proportion? Yup.
Grave mixups have been happening since the beginning of the national cemetary system, and of course often in the private sector. It amazes me how outraged people get about what are basically every day occurances. The fact that these are vets really has no bearing... everyone deserves to be buried properly, but sadly everyone is equally succeptable to Murphy's law.
You, my friend, are the poster child for mediocrity and the acceptance of the lowest possible denominator. Not that many cemeteries; not that many graves to get it right for someone (ANYONE!) with any standards and desire to be held accountable. Unfortunately, you and the government employees who accepted accountability ARE the lowest possible denominator. Your lives must be very simple and stress free.
My Father died from injuries in the Battle of the Bulge. He is buried in a private cemetary. And the V.A. also gave my Mother the plot next to his. Would I be disturbed if someone moved and misplaced his headstone and my Mother was not buried next to him. You damn right i would be. You saying this is being blown out of proportion is a slap to myself and every other Veteran and their Family Members. Why don't you move to someplace like Russia or some third world country, maybe you would be happier there. Asw far as I am concerned you are not welcome to stay here in My Country.
Rob,
Telling people with different opinions to leave 'your' country is being the worst kind of American. You bring shame on all Americans.
Has this happened in private civilian cemeteries? Do they do audits to make sure? How much you want ot bet it does. I can think of many instances just recently where cemeteries have been located under buildings or lakes and these weren't government cemeteries. If every cemetery in the nation (private, municipal, state, or federal) were audited, what do you think the rate would be when you compare veteran cemeteries to these?
You can always count on the government to screw up anything it undertakes. Shame on the cemeteries to not show more respect for our fallen warriors.
Joyce, while I agree this is horrible, it isn't just the government that screws up cemetaries. My great grandparents were buried in a county cemetary. When the cemetary was sold to a private company, it was discovered that the many plots were mislabled and they were not really sure who was buried where after they had to move graves due to flooding.
I have to agree for the most part, the government can't even run a whorehouse right.
Robert--
You are more right than you may know. Check into how the IRS bankrupted the Mustang Ranch in Nevada. This is why I balk at more taxes. I'm not a tea partier or a rich guy, but I automatically distrust anyone who says they know better what to do with my money than I do, and have also proven that they can't make money selling booze and pussy.
What a disgrace.
Give Me a brake............... are We really surprized. The blind leading the blind, and, they get paid for it.
Photocal... You need to go to a auto parts store for those brakes. Idiot.
or you could have said "it's spelled break not brake" and you also could have said "use spell check"
or you could have been civil and ignored a mere typo.
"Gimmee a brake, gimmee a brake. Brake me off a piece from that old black car."
bobbski, It would be "an auto parts store". Idiot.
Just plain laziness by the contractor's people. Probably never served so don't really care if it is right or no. Sad that they don't even take pride in their work, let alone respecting the dead.
Our government is disgusting Do Unto Others As You WOuld Have Them Do UNto YOU l00fold...may you end up thrown in a ditch...sit safe and seek your next GS level do nothings...spending us into oblivion...
Dear MS Becky of msnbc.com....
OK so we know the bad number for the news 126 - What's the total number of graves at all these cemeteries that were checked Only 127? or the tens, or hundreds of thousands that one would expect????
Great typing, but I wouldn't call it journalism or even reporting.
Hi... This is so sad... and someone said... "Thanks for your service"... Don't wonder why that phrase sounds like the last line of an off color joke... How long were we into the Iraq war before we found out that our primary medical facility was a hidden national disgrace?...and it was actually located in the same metro-plex that our president and vice-president live in... Please don't tell me "Thanks for your service"... Just leave me in what peace I can find in silence... This is only possible in a nation where cooperation with each other is considered a moral weakness...
Richard B. Smith
We need to look at the bright side of this.
A: They discovered the problem.
B: They didn't try to cover it up to save face which the government has an extensive history of doing.
C: They fixed the problem and they opening apologized.
Many years ago, a group in the city of Boston, Mass., decided to "neaten up" the old, pre-Revolutionary War burial ground across from King's Chapel on Tremont Street. Head stones were rearranged, so that many of them no longer stand over the corresponding notables buried there. Were the dead thereby dishonored? People die at sea or are lost in war. Stones are erected with no bodies under them. Is this not meaningful?
While mix ups at VA cemeteries are sad, the important thing is that these people are remembered by families and loved ones. We don't go to cemeteries to honor corpses, we go to honor those who once inhabited them. I recently read a story about two babies who were mixed up at birth and given to the wrong mothers. Those girls are now in their teens, and they love their "wrong" mothers as their own, the point being: mix ups happen, but connections that we make with our hearts, and memories that stem from these associations, are ultimately all that matter.
Thanks Dome, There seems to be a lot of hypocracy in what is necessary to have a veteran respected after death and to a certain extent I understand that. I drive by the Ft. Sam Houston cemetary frequently and think of the sacrifices that were made by the many souls beneath those marble tombstones. As an Ole Fart artillery retiree close to 80, I think that too many people are making too much out of this. One of these days, my remains will also be somewhere at Ft. Sam, and as long as there is a headstone identifying me that is somewhere near my body, I'll be satisfied. Then I think, what if I asked to be cremated and have my ashes strewn over the waters where I grew up, where would my headstone go?
I was fortunate enough to visit Arlington last year as a helper on an Honor Flight last year. Very humbling to say the least. Our tour guide showed us where the new graves started that spring and it broke my heart.
Well, at least nobody is peeing on them yet........
Only you, Chucktard. You worthless troll.
Still stalking me Jnikolai?........sorry, you're not my type.........
The military has more problems than keeping track of headstones. My late husband, Joseph Coluzzi, was the Captain of the Merchant Vessel Lopez which was anchored off shore the 1997 home port of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We were married at sea by Captain Harold Boltin more than 200 miles off shore from Saipan. My husband voyaged to Guam in January 1998 for a routing refueling at Guam Navy Base where the company, AMSEA, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, had priviliges standard to all Dept of Defense Contracted vessls. I never officially notified of Jospeh's death, my fax stated he was missing from his ship. His remains were sent to Weisbotten without my knowledge and his body was dissolved in chemicals. I believe my husband was shot by a man aboard the vessel who used drugs. The Navy has never responded, the company's personnel office horrified me when I telephoned to make inquiries. I had to obtain a petition to prove we were married, all of our documents were on the vessel in Joe's cabin. I have never received my husband's life insurance. I spent 12 years after my return to the USA (six months after Joseph was- to the best of my knowledge - missing) in the District of Columbia writing letters to officials, visiting the Pentagon in person and connecting with Scotland Yard along with other international and federal law enforcement agenies trying to discover what happened to my husband. Now, more than 10 years later, my case has reached the attention of the US Navy in Sacramento through the kindness and diligence of my friend, Donald Chavous, MD JD in Palm Desert California. My husband was a decorated US Marine, he was awarded Silver Stars and a Purple Heart in Vietname. Through murder, to collusion and cover up and fraud my husband's life, his service to our country, our faith, his integrity and the value of his life have been made into a travesty which shows the decay and lack of honor in our Navy and Defense Intelligence Committee members. The Committee is supposed to have oversight of contractors, they don't know how to excercise this duty. The Navy is an abomination concerning their ability to turn their heads. My husband's body left their base on Guam once I learned through the grapevine what happened, they should have acknowledged what happened to his remains. I lost not only my husband but also the financial security he provided me. We are not the people we think we are as a civilization or in the eyes of God.
Please do not mail your remarks to me concerning my post unless you are in a position to officially do something about this or invite me to a hearing. My profile is public.
Anyone want to place a bet on the nationality of the contract workers?
21 years in the military and it looks like I can expect the same from the government when I die. Things don't change for veterans in life or in death.