Honoring Our Veterans at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery

Indiantown Gap National Cemetery is located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. It serves as the national cemetery for the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia. The property is comprised of 677 acres and is beautifully maintained. It's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is FREE to visit.

The cemetery is the final resting place for 3 Civil War Veterans and Veterans from WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War to include Iraq and Afghanistan. The cemetery can serve and accommodate up to 1.5 million veterans if needed. As soon as you turn onto the property and drive up the front entrance you'll see the Memorial Flag Display. Each American flag represents a service member who lost their life since 9/11 (September 11th).

The cemetery’s Avenue of Flags display consists of over 550 flags and line every road in the cemetery. It's quite the site as you drive around the property and see all of the flags!!! We had our grandchildren along with us and used the flags as an educational tool and had them trying to name them. The ones that they couldn't name they drew a picture of and when we got home they looked them up online.

You'll find plenty of parking when you arrive. I recommend that you dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. You'll be doing a lot of outdoor walking. There are "mapped" areas that will help guide you around the property and there are plenty of benches that you can sit on if you need to rest. If you're handicap and need assistance, you can make arrangements with the business office to have a golf cart escort you around.

One of the most impressive monuments on the property is the Pennsylvania Veteran's Memorial  (dedicated in 2001), which is the largest monument in any of the VA's National Cemeteries. It's a combination open-air space and building that stands 187 feet high by 360 feet long.

You'll find beautiful water fountains, trees, park benches, etc. inside the memorial for visitors to use and there are public restrooms there too. It's really a peaceful and majestic memorial to visit. We spent a good 30 minutes or so walking around the memorial and its really something you should see.

According to the VA website "its design evokes the ruins of a war-torn building centered in a land of solemnity." The memorial was designed by Cee Jay Associates of West Chester, Pennsylvania. The memorial is dedicated to all who serve the nation and veterans of all wars—past and future.

If you're planning to visit the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery we recommend that you allow at least 2 hours in schedule for your visit. You'll want to park and walk around the property to see everything that it has to offer. If you're looking for maps, official information or the public restrooms, you'll find all of that in the administration building which is open during normal business hours.

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