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Riverside National Cemetery
22495 Van Buren Boulevard
Riverside, CA 92518
Phone: (909) 653-8417
FAX: (909) 653-5233

Office Hours:
Monday thru Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
except Memorial Day 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Burial Space: This cemetery has space available to accommodate casketed and cremated remains.

Grave Locator/General Information Kiosk on Site? No. An Information Booth is at the main entrance of the cemetery to locate graves and to provide information.

Directions from nearest airport:
Cemetery is located 70 miles East of Los Angeles, adjacent to March ARB. Ontario Airport is 27 miles from the cemetery. From Ontario Airport, take I-10 East to I-15 South to I-91, East to Van Buren Blvd Exit. Turn left on Indiana Ave, and turn right (South) on Van Buren Blvd (approximately 10 miles to cemetery). From Los Angeles International Airport, take I-10 or I-60 East to I-15 South to I-91 East to Van Buren Blvd Exit. Turn left on Indiana Ave, and turn right (South) on Van Buren Blvd (approximately 10 miles to cemetery).

Military Funeral Honors
In addition to the Department of Defense military funeral honors program, "Honoring Those Who Served", the Riverside National Cemetery Memorial Honor Detail (MHD) is generally available Monday through Friday to provide military funeral honors for veterans. MHD teams are strictly volunteers and vary in size and scope, from folding and presenting the flag only, to full honors with a rifle salute and bugler. All military funeral honors performed by the MHD are provided at NO COST to the family. Scheduling for the MHD is accomplished by cemetery personnel on a first request basis until all available slots for the day are taken. If the MHD is unavailable for the requested time of service, the family or funeral director is responsible for making other arrangements.
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Cemetery History
Riverside National Cemetery is the fifth-largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration, and in 2000 was the most active in the system based on the number of interments. It was established in 1976 through the transfer of 740 acres from March Air Force Base, which during World War II was the U.S. Army's Camp William G. Haan. The cemetery was dedicated and opened for burials November 11, 1978.

The dramatic, meandering landscape features a central boulevard with memorial circles, lakes, indigenous-styled committal shelters, and a memorial amphitheater.

Monuments and Memorials
Riverside National cemetery is home of the Medal of Honor Memorial and one of three sites recognized as a National Medal of Honor Memorial Site. The Medal of Honor Memorial is located at the third traffic circle in the cemetery. There currently are two Medal of Honor recipients interred at the cemetery. Ismael Villegas and John Balch.

The Veterans' Memorial is dedicated to all service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It is located on Lemay Boulevard near the lake at the entrance to the cemetery.

A carillon was donated by theAmerican Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam (AMVETS) in 2000.
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Medal of Honor Recipients
Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas, ( World War II) U.S. Army, Company F, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division, Villa Verde Trail, Luaon, Philippine Islands, March 20, 1945. (Section 5, Grave 1178)

Commander (then Pharmacist's Mate First Class) John H. Balch, (World War I), U.S. Navy, 6th Regiment, U.S. Marines, Vierzy & Somme-Py, France, July 19, 1918, and October 5, 1918. (Section 2, Grave 1925)

Colonel Mitchell Paige, (World War II), U. S. Marine Corps, Solomon Islands, 26 October 1942. (Section 20A Site 533)

Other Burials
Woodrow "Woody" Strode, Section 46, Grave 283. Mr. Strude starred in a movie as Buffalo Soldier "Sergent Rutledge".
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Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations.

Artificial flowers and potted plants will be permitted on graves during periods when their presence will not interfere with grounds maintenance. The cemetery director, in coordination with the network office, determines these periods for each cemetery depending on climate and other factors. As a general rule, artificial flowers and potted plants will be allowed on graves for a period extending 10 days before through 10 days after Easter Sunday and Memorial Day.

Christmas wreaths, grave blankets and other seasonal adornments may be placed on graves from December 1 through January 20. The donor may secure floral items and other decorations in place. They may not be secured to headstones or markers.

Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, breakable objects and similar items are not permitted on the graves. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not permit adornments that are considered offensive, inconsistent with the dignity of the cemetery, or considered hazardous to cemetery personnel (items incorporating beads or wires, for example, may become entangled in mowers or other equipment and cause injury).

Permanent items removed from graves will be placed in an inconspicuous holding area for one month prior to disposal. Decorative items removed from graves remain the property of the donor but are under the custodianship of the cemetery. If not retrieved by donor, they are then governed by the rules for disposal of Federal property.
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Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee
PO Box 7519, Redlands, CA 92375
Voice: 909-957-3982 – FAX: 909-874-0670