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Yellowstone National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located 1 mile north of Laurel, Yellowstone County, Montana, at 55 Buffalo Trail Road (state highway 532), administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. The cemetery began as a satellite cemetery of Black Hills National Cemetery; Sturgis, South Dakota.〔US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/yellowstone.asp (accessed 13 January 2015)〕 On 18 May, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs created five national areas of responsibility, and Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado, assumed supervisory responsibility for Yellowstone National Cemetery.〔http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/docs/myva-5-regions-map.pdf (accessed 22 May 2015)〕 Yellowstone National Cemetery is the first of eight smaller national burial grounds the Department of Veterans Affairs plans in its Rural Veterans Burial Initiative for largely rural states in America.〔Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Public Affairs, Media Relations, News Release, "VA Expanding Burial Options in rural Areas," August 1, 2012〕 As of 1 October 2015, Yellowstone National Cemetery has had 550 interments and memorials. ==History== Montana has had a national cemetery for well over 100 years: the Custer National Cemetery at present Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument; Crow Agency, Montana. On 1 August 1879, the US Army established this cemetery as a ''National Cemetery of the fourth class.''〔Jerome A. Greene, ''Stricken Field, The Little Bighorn since 1876''. U. of Oklahoma, 2008.〕 This cemetery included already interred US military battle deaths from the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Custer’s Last Stand). As years passed more interments occurred at Custer National Cemetery: including military burials from the Plains Indian Wars, non-battle related deaths from other frontier military forts in the region, and other interments continuing to modern times. On 1 July 1940, the US Army turned over to the US Department of the Interior, US Park Service, the Custer National Cemetery: one of fourteen national cemeteries now managed by the US Park Service.〔 One hundred years of interments exhausted available burial space at Custer National Cemetery, and in January 1978 the US Park Service closed the cemetery to first, or non-reserved, interments.〔US National Park Service, "National Parks and National Cemeteries,"http://www.nps.gov/ande/planyourvisit/np-natcems.htm, (accessed 16 January 2015)〕 In 1978, the US Veterans Administration began a state grant program to help states build state veterans cemeteries.〔 US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, ''Veterans Cemetery Grant Programs,'' http://www.cem.va.gov/grants/ (accessed 13 January 2015).〕 In March 1989, US Veterans Administration became a cabinet-level post, designated US Department of Veterans Affairs, (herein “Veterans Affairs").〔US Department of Veterans Affairs, “About VA,” http://www.va.gov/about_va/vahistory.asp, (accessed 13 January 2015).〕 By the early 2000s Montana had three Veterans Affairs state grant supported veterans cemeteries: Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Helena; Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Missoula; and Eastern Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Miles City.〔State of Montana, Department of Military Affairs, ''Cemeteries'' http://montanadma.org/cemeteries, (accessed 13 Jan 2015).〕 The Montana state legislature authorized a state veterans cemetery in Yellowstone County, but did not provide funding.〔Montana Code Annotated, Title 10, chapter 2, part 6, ''State Veterans Cemeteries,'' at http://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/10/2/10-2-601.htm, (accessed 13 January 2015).〕 Yellowstone County, Montana’s most populous county with Montana’s largest city, Billings, has the state’s largest veterans’ population, but no veterans cemetery.〔Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, VetPop 2007 data.〕 In the early 2000s, Yellowstone County veterans, citing long travel distances to Montana state veterans cemeteries or open national cemeteries, began a grass-roots effort to build a veterans cemetery in Yellowstone County without Veterans Affairs state grant monies.〔“Grass-roots Campaign Promises Final Honor for Vets.” Billings Gazette, Billings, Montana, 27 May 2007, sec 10C.〕 A coalition of Yellowstone County veterans and civic leaders agreed on a plan to fund, design, build, and operate a veterans cemetery in Yellowstone County to Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, standards, and then petition Veterans Affairs to designate the cemetery a national cemetery.〔 In November 2006, Yellowstone County, Montana, voters approved by a sixty-one to thirty-nine percent margin, a countywide mil levy to raise monies to build and operate the newly named ''Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery''.〔Tom Howard, “Veterans Cemetery near Laurel Gets Voter Ok.” ''Billings Gazette,'' Billings, Montana, 7 November 2006, at http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/veterans-cemetery-near-laurel-gets-voter-ok/article_dfcfb5ad-12de-539a-8290-f5a429b4d798.html#ixzz337jAUObw, (accessed 13 January 2015)〕 Yellowstone County purchased about of land from the city of Laurel, fifteen miles west of Billings, for the cemetery. ''Peaks to Plains Design,'' Billings, Montana, a woman-owned small business, designed the cemetery, and ''Hardy Construction,'' also from Billings, was construction contractor for the cemetery. Yellowstone County also purchased a right-of-way or easement on Montana state land north of the Laurel city land for future cemetery expansion. Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners would govern the cemetery through the Board's appointed Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery Board. Yellowstone County veterans, citizens, local and state civic leaders, and Montana's congressional delegation held ground-breaking ceremonies for the $1.7 million Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day, 2008, with dedication of the completed cemetery on Veterans Day, 2008.〔Matt Hagengruber and Bob Zeller, “Place to Remember, County Veterans Cemetery Dedicated in Laurel.” ''Billings Gazette,'' Billings, Montana, 12 November 2008, sec. A1.〕 On 8 December 2008, Glenn L. Butz, veteran, US Army, World War II, was the cemetery’s first interment.〔Matt Hagengruber and James Woodcock, “The First Goodbye,” ''Billings Gazette,'' Billings, Montana, 13 December 2008, sec. A1.〕 Yellowstone County veterans and civic leaders began a concerted effort through Montana’s US congressional delegation, led by Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, to have Veterans Affairs designate Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery a national cemetery. The effort centered on showing Veterans Affairs the need for smaller-in-scale national cemeteries for America’s predominantly rural states.〔“Grassroots Effort Built Final Home for Heroes.” ''Billings Gazette,'' Billings, Montana, 28 May 2012, sec. A4.〕 In 2011, Veterans Affairs began its Rural Veterans Burial Initiative Program (herein “Rural Initiative”) to improve burial access for veterans residing in America’s rural areas. Veterans Affairs looked at states lacking a National cemetery with available space for first interments.〔Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, Audits and Evaluations. ''Audit of Rural Veterans Burial Initiative,'' 14 July 2014, VA doc 13-03468-203.〕 In 2012, Veterans Affairs designated eight states to have smaller national burial grounds. The states are Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Maine.〔Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Public Affairs, Media Relations, News Release, ''VA Expanding Burial Options in Rural Areas,'' 1 August 2012.〕 Veterans Affairs agreed to take Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery under the Rural Initiative, but only the cemetery’s already built and developed .〔Cindy Uken, “VA to Give Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery a National Designation,” ''Billings Gazette,'' Billings, Montana, 1 August 2012, sec. A1.〕 Veterans Affairs asked for public input on a name for the new national cemetery; Montana’s citizens submitted sixty-seven different proposed names.〔Montana Veterans Affairs, Fort Harrison, Montana, consolidated list of proposed names for National Cemetery.〕 Proposed name ''Yellowstone National Cemetery'' came from a veteran in Laurel, Yellowstone County, Montana, who lived near the cemetery. The veteran sent an e-mail on 3 January 2014 to US Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont.; Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, Denver, Colorado; and to the Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners which read in part, “The name''Yellowstone National Cemetery'' meets VA requirements of location, region, and broad inspiring appeal. The name reflects grandeur of America’s west, with nobility, strength, courage, and character: hallmarks befitting sacrifice, honor, and gallantry of America’s military veterans. The lasting name of this hallowed ground must fervently and sincerely honor the very soul and service of veterans forever interred there, ''Yellowstone National Cemetery'' is that name."〔Ed Saunders, Laurel, Montana, e-mail to Sen Jon Tester, D-Mont; Veterans Affairs, and Yellowstone County Board of Commissioners, ''Proposed Name for VA National Burial Ground – Laurel, Montana,'' 3 January 2014.〕 Veterans Affairs agreed with the recommended name, ''Yellowstone National Cemetery''. On 26 May 2014, Yellowstone County, Montana, officially donated to Veterans Affairs without financial cost to the federal government, the renamed''Yellowstone National Cemetery''.〔Clair Johnson, “County Transfers Ownership of Veterans Cemetery.” ''Billings Gazette,'' Billings, Montana, 21 May 2014, sec. B1.〕 Veterans Affairs officials, Montana’s congressional delegation, local civic leaders, veterans, and citizens dedicated the new national cemetery on 27 May 2014.〔Zack Benoit and Hannah Potes, “10 Years in the Making,” ''Billings Gazette, Billings,'' Montana, 27 May 2014, sec. A1.〕 Dedication ceremony included tribal blessings in native language and native ceremonies by leaders of the Crow Nation and Northern Cheyenne Nation in Montana.〔Chris Cioffi, “Cemetery Blessed Before Dedication,” ''Billings Gazette, Billings,'' Montana, 26 May 2014, sec. B1.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yellowstone National Cemetery」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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