The importance of keeping your discharge paperwork (DD-214)
Your honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces is an extremely important document. The DD-214 (all branches of service used this form starting in the 1950s) is the key to receiving certain services and benefits.
One of the benefits bestowed upon the veterans of our military is the option for the remains of the service member, their spouse, and certain dependent children to be laid to rest in one of the beautiful national or state cemeteries that the Veterans Administration operates around the country. The national cemetery and state cemetery system can accommodate both casketed and cremated remains in keeping with the wishes of each family.
The Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery is open to eligible New Jersey Veterans, residents who are members of the Armed Forces or reserve units on active duty at the time of death, certain dependents and certain merchant marines and civilians who have been awarded veteran’s status. Pre-registration for interment at Doyle Cemetery is highly encouraged. While it does not guarantee a grave site, it can help avoid confusion and possible delays at the time of need. Pre-registration may be accomplished in person either at the cemetery or at any Veterans Service Office. The application may also be submitted through U.S. Mail. There is no cost for burial at Doyle Cemetery unless the next of kin elects not to use a state provided grave liner.
The cemetery is located in Arneytown, North Hanover Township, Burlington County on Province line Road, which intersects Route 664 to the north of the cemetery and Routes 537 and 528 to the south. Its central location, 15 miles southeast of Trenton, makes it easily accessible from the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway and Interstates 195 and 295. Doyle Cemetery is open to visitors every day of the year.
To secure a final resting place within the national cemetery system, the family must provide the funeral director with the appropriate required discharge paperwork (DD-214) from whatever branch of the armed forces that person served.
When families do not have the discharge paperwork to submit for review to the national cemetery scheduling office they can request a procedure called a ‘clearance.’ Then the veteran’s discharge information and status are located by different agencies including the branch of the armed forces the veteran served in, the National Personnel Record Center in St. Louis and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The inherent danger in this is that there can be a delay of a few days to possibly weeks before the correct information is located and vetted by these agencies. Until that process is complete, the remains of the deceased will not be accepted into the national cemetery system. A delay can place an extra emotional strain on an already grieving family because they cannot set a final date for burial at the cemetery and have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their loved one is in their final resting place.
So what is the best way to avoid a situation such as this?
Here at the All Faiths Cremation Service, as part of the pre-planning process we request a copy of the honorable discharge for each person who tells us their final resting place will be in one of our nation’s military cemeteries. There is no finer tribute or more appropriate final resting-place for New Jersey’s valiant heroes than in a cemetery dedicated to them. We go the extra step of contacting the National Cemetery Scheduling Office or the New Jersey Veterans Cemetery for our pre-arrangements and clearing the veteran in advance by forwarding their discharge paperwork for review and storage. Preplanning in this way eliminates surprise delays.
Call 732-804-0295 if you have any questions