County of Onondaga: Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, NY

The County of Onondaga: Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, NY is located in Onondaga, which is at the center of New York State, within 350 miles of all major cities in the Northeast. The county is easily accessible for drivers because it's at the intersection of Interstate Highways 81 and 90. Greyhound and Amtrak terminals are located nearby, as is the Hancock International Airport and the New York State Barge Canal System.

The Veterans Memorial Cemetery is a 52-acre cemetery located at 4069 Howlett Hill Road. It honors Onondaga County residents who served, and sometimes died, in the military. It was formally dedicated to these brave people on May 30, 1987.

The cemetery has performed services for more than 3,000 service members. The first burial was on June 11, 1986. On this day decorated Second World War veteran Leo McInerney was buried. Since then thousands of services have been performed for service members from the Coast Guard, the Air Force, the Army, the Navy, and the Marines.

Those eligible to be buried in the cemetery are any honorably discharged veteran of military service. Documentation of veteran status must be available, and a prior residency of at least five years is required.
Legal spouses of veterans may also be interred in the cemetery if there is documentation verifying marriage. Children under 18 are also eligible. Committals are done at the cemetery chapel.

Services have been performed for paratrooper/Syracuse University football coach, Ben Schwartzwalder and County Legislators Jim Salanger and Jack Haley.

In 1998 the Memorial Garden was enhanced. The Chapel was enlarged in 2000.

The Onondaga County Parks is responsible for the operation of the Veteran's Cemetery, including care of the grounds, plot assignments, burial records and burials.