Rock Island National Cemetery was established on the grounds of the U.S. Arsenal located on Rock Island in the Mississippi River near the cities of Davenport, IA, and Moline, IL. In 1863 the area was set aside to bury Union soldiers who died while serving as guards at the large Confederate prison camp established on Rock Island by the U.S. government. The Cemetery is the final resting place of soldiers who served in the Civil War, as well as the Mexican War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Walking among the tombstones I came across this little marker surrounded by stones. It reads: The markers in this memorial area honor veterans whose remains have not been recovered or identified, were buried at sea, donated to science or cremated and the ashes scattered
It is reassuring that that although the remains of veterans may not be laid to rest in the cemetery they are not forgotten.
P.S. The cemetery also has a confederate section where the soldiers that died in the POW camp were buried after their deaths. but that is a post for another day.
P.P.S Rock Island is an active military base and arsenal, but they let visitors in to view the cemetery, museum and historic sites you must stop at the visitor center first for a background check and pass.
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