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With over 260,000 people interred there and over 5,400 new burials every year, Arlington is the second most-populated national cemetery in the United States and features one of the country's largest columbariums to house cremated remains. In each of the columbarium's four sections, there are 5,000 niches for remains, and the columbarium is expanding to house a total of 100,000 remains. According to the official Arlington National Cemetery site, any active-duty member of the U.S. armed forces or American veteran retired from active service is eligible for burial
there. Veterans who are retired from the reserves are eligible for burial in Arlington if they served in active duty, reached the age of 60, and drew retired pay. Also, any former member of the armed forces who was discharged honorably for medical reasons and rated 30% disabled or more prior to October 1, 1949, can be buried in Arlington. Any former member of the armed forces who received one of these decorations is eligible: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, or Purple Heart. In addition, all former presidents of the U.S. are allowed an Arlington burial (only two are currently buried there -- William Taft and John F. Kennedy). The spouses, minor children, and certain adult children of all those eligible may be buried at Arlington.
Spouses of members of the armed forces who were buried at sea or missing in action are also eligible, along with those whose military spouse was buried in an U.S. military cemetery overseas. The requirements for inurnment in the columbarium at Arlington are slightly different. In addition to active duty service members and veterans, armed forces reservists and members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps may be entombed in the columbarium if their death occurred under certain conditions. The columbarium is also open to U.S. citizens who served in the armed forces of an American ally during a war in which the U.S. took part. Certain commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and U.S. Public Health Service can be inurned in the columbarium. Arlington does not make interment arrangements before death -- the next of kin must make arrangements at the time of need. Proof of eligibility is required, such as a discharge certificate. The cemetery recommends the next of kin contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to secure necessary documents. A casualty assistance officer will usually help take care of the arrangements for active duty military personnel.
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