Arizona's 'Arlington' of the Desert: Cemetery provides a time to reflect on Memorial Day

Flags adorn gravestones on Memorial Day and other occasions at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona on North Cave Creek Road in Phoenix. Arizona Republic Photo

By Mark Nothaft, MAP Strategies Group

We could almost add another letter to the state's exalted Five Cs. How about a “D” for defense? Almost sounds like the name of a '50s doo-wop band — “D and the Five Cs.”

It's true. Installations like Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Davis-Monthan in Tucson, the Yuma and Gila Bend's facilities and National Guard sites contribute to Arizona's military bloodline, as do defense contractors like Raytheon, Boeing, General Dynamics, among others.

But a more somber site pays homage to those who have served and sacrificed, the 225-acre National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix. Think of it as the Arlington of the desert.

More than 78,000 veterans and spouses are interred at the site on Cave Creek Road, which was authorized in 1976 by then-governor Raul Castro and dedicated in December 1978. The facility is one of two in the state managed by Veterans Affairs.

MORE

This story by Mark Nothaft originally appeared in The Arizona Republic/AZCentral.com.