When the National Cemetery System constructed Calverton National Cemetery in 1978, the cemetery became the third national cemetery to be located on Long Island. The other national cemeteries situated on Long Island are Cypress Hills National Cemetery, in Brooklyn, New York, which was established in 1862 and Long Island National Cemetery, in Farmingdale, New York, established in 1936.
In 1974, Long Island National Cemetery was the only national cemetery on Long Island with available space for burials—but its maximum burial capacity was soon to be exhausted. As a result, plans were developed by the National Cemetery System to construct a new regional cemetery to serve the greater New York area, home then to nearly three million veterans and their dependents. On December 7, 1977, a 902 acres of land was transferred from the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Calverton to the Veterans Administration for use as a national cemetery.
Calverton National Cemetery features a memorial pathway lined with a variety of memorials that honor America’s veterans. As of 2003, there were 18 memorials here, most commemorating soldiers of 20th century wars.
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Notable interments:
Medal of Honor recipient
Michael P. Murphy, Lieutenant, US Navy SEAL. Afghanistan. Awarded the Medal of Honor in Operation Enduring Freedom.
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Edward Walter Egan, Sergeant, US Marines. NYPD detective and actor. Role model for Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in the 1971 film The French Connection
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Dorothy Frooks, Communications Yeoman, US Navy/ Technician 5, US Army. Served in World War I and World War II. Actress and author.
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Francis S. Gabreski, Colonel, US Air Force. The top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea.
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Cassius C.A. Harris, U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen
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Leonard Jackson, World War II US Navy veteran. Actor who appeared on both Sesame Street and Shining Time Station.
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Albert Paulsen, Private, World War II US Army. Actor. (source) (
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Arthur Pinajian, Corporal, US Army, World War II. Awarded Bronze Star Medal. Comic book creator and illustrator in the 1930s to 1950s, and impressionist artist.
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Isaac Woodard, Jr., Sergeant, US Army, World War II. African American World War II veteran whose 1946 beating and maiming sparked national outrage. (source) (
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Hubert Julian, Trinidad-born aviation pioneer. He was nicknamed "The Black Eagle".
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