2016-23087. Army National Military Cemeteries

AGENCY:

Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Army is publishing its regulation for the development, operation, maintenance, and administration of the Army National Cemeteries to reflect their statutory name change to the Army National Military Cemeteries and changes in the management structure, to adopt modifications suggested by the Department of the Army Inspector General and approved by the Secretary of the Army, and to implement changes in interment eligibility reflecting changes in law.

DATES:

This rule is effective on October 26, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Robert Quackenbush, Army National Military Cemeteries, 703-614-7150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Executive Summary

I. Purpose of the Regulatory Action

a. This final rule modifies the Army's regulation governing Army National Military Cemeteries, which consist of Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery, to reflect changes in the management structure of the Army National Military Cemeteries created by Army General Orders 2014-74 and 2014-75 and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, Public Law 112-81, section 591 (2011) (adding chapter 446 to title 10); to incorporate modifications to eligibility as enacted by Section 1 to Public Law 114-158, dated 20 May 2016 which amends 38 U.S.C. 2410; to adopt modifications suggested by the Department of the Army Inspector General as approved by the Secretary of the Army; to implement interment, inurnment, and memorialization eligibility restrictions, including those mandated by 10 U.S.C. 985 and 38 U.S.C. 2411; and to prohibit the reservation of gravesites as mandated by 38 U.S.C. 2410a.

b. The legal authority for this regulatory action is section 591 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, Public Law 112-81 (2011), which added chapter 446 to title 10. Chapter 446 requires the Secretary of the Army to prescribe regulations and policies as may be necessary to administer the Army National Military Cemeteries, and it codifies the role of the Executive Director as the individual responsible for exercising authority, direction, and control over all aspects of the Army National Military Cemeteries. Throughout part 553, the Army replaces references to the Superintendent of the Cemetery, the Adjutant General, and Commanding General, Military District of Washington, with “Executive Director” to reflect the current organizational structure, which was implemented through Army General Orders 2014-74 and 2014-75 and codified in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012.

II. Summary of and Response to Public Comments

The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on May 11, 2016 (81 FR 29230) for a 60-day comment period. The Department of the Army received fourteen comments from fourteen individuals. Thirteen of the comments addressed section 553.33(c)(8) concerning the use of bicycles in the cemetery. One of the thirteen comments also addressed section 553.33(c)(7) concerning use of the cemetery for physical training. The final comment addressed section 553.33(c)(14) concerning possession of firearms within the cemetery. The Army's responses to these comments are discussed below.

Thirteen comments addressed the updated restrictions for operating bicycles within the cemetery. Arguments were made for opening the cemetery to bicycles for riders' convenience as a thruway between Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall/Memorial Drive, as an environmentally friendly method for seeing the cemetery, as a more neighborly approach to surrounding Arlington residents, as a better method for visiting distant gravesites, and for the health benefits to be gained from riding bicycles in the cemetery. Several commenters argued that bicycles do not impact the decorum of the cemetery.

The Army disagrees with and rejects these comments for several reasons related to the nature of cemetery operations, decorum, security, and safety.

The cemetery is not intended to serve as a shortcut route for bicyclists commuting to and from other locations. Rather, as an operational cemetery conducting up to 30 funerals a day and hosting official visits from visiting dignitaries on its narrow roads, the primary purpose of these roads are to facilitate funeral processions, military units, official vehicles to include their escorts, and cemetery equipment and vehicles operating in the daily care of the cemetery.

Additionally, while the Army assumes that most riders bear no malice of intent to demonstrate disrespect or violate decorum or decency, bicyclists traversing the cemetery grounds, even at the posted speed limit, can and do impact the decorum of funeral processions and services, which can number up to 30 per day, as cyclists pass along or across these procession routes. These funeral processions include not just the families and mourners, but include caissons drawn by horses, military bands, and military escort elements all travelling at a walking pace. For these services, bus tour operators and vehicles are forced to stop because there is simply not enough room to pass. This ensures proper decorum. Likewise, visitors on foot typically stop and yield to the processions also as a sign of respect. Previous trial periods with bicyclists in the cemetery showed bicyclists did not typically stop for these processions. The cemetery does not have the requisite staff to monitor and enforce this behavior for bicyclists.

There are legitimate safety concerns with bicyclists mixing with pedestrians. Although they are moving under their own power, bicyclists move at a rate typically 10 times faster than most walking paces. Bicyclists passing the 4 million visitors walking along these roads or in open air tour buses pose risks to themselves, pedestrians, and bus passengers. Additionally, bicyclists riding in and around the cemetery are travelling at higher speeds than the funeral processions. Since there are no bike paths on the cemetery grounds, mixing bicyclists with these processions also constitutes a safety hazard.

The comment arguing for public convenience is not supported on its merits. The current route used in the cemetery is 1.2 miles from South Post Chapel to Hwy 110 at Memorial Drive. There is an equally convenient 1.3 mile route around the cemetery from the South Post Chapel along McNair Road, Marshall Road and out the Wright Gate to the bike path along Highway 110 which can bring a rider to the same point on Memorial Drive—a greater distance of only one-tenth of one mile. For those desiring to visit their loved one's grave by bicycle, the new rule still accommodates this ability with no substantive change from current policy. Guests desiring to visit a loved one's grave can still obtain a temporary pass at the Welcome Center just as they do now, and with that pass, ride their bicycles to and from the gravesite.

The Army also notes that tour buses and cars are not allowed free reign to enter the cemetery. For security purposes, they are restricted in where they can go within the cemetery. Moreover, for the same security reasons, they cannot enter without first obtaining a pass from the Welcome Center. With the changes in the new rule, the Army is simply imposing the same security restriction on bicyclists as they do on motorists and tour buses who desire to drive into the cemetery.

Commenters also expressed support for expanding bicycle use and for installing bike racks to accommodate cyclists. The Army notes that there are already bike racks at the Welcome Center for those coming to Arlington via bicycle. On most days there is ample space available on these bike racks.

Another commenter stated that the Army is incorrect in its claim that the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) does not apply because the proposed rule would completely ban the ongoing activity of bicycle transportation though the cemetery. The Army believes the commenter's facts are wrong. The rule does not completely ban bicyclists. In fact, it retains the current practice for those wishing to visit a gravesite on bicycle to obtain a pass at the Welcome Center in order to do so. The only substantive change is to not allow transit via the Meigs/Sherman/Schley Drives through the cemetery. However, the Army believes the alternate McNair/Marshall/Hwy 110 bike path route described above still allows the same bicyclists the means to reach Memorial Drive at a negligibly increased distance by bicycle. Therefore, the rule does not significantly alter ongoing activities. The Army determined that implementing the new rule does not individually or cumulatively have any significant environmental consequences. Consequently, the Army's proposed actions are categorically excluded recreational and law enforcement activities and do not require an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under Army Regulation 200-2.

Another commenter raised the point that the Army should allow physical training runs through the cemetery which would allow time for reflection on those veterans interred in the cemetery while exercising. The commenter considered it an honor to conduct physical training in a VA National Cemetery where the commenter had been previously stationed. The Army does grant exceptions to military units from the Army staff and from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall conduct unit level physical training to support this type of reflection on a case-by-case basis. However, the training is always completed early in the morning before the Cemetery is open to visitors. Physical training during operating hours pose a decorum and safety issue. While the Army recognizes that being permitted to exercise at other cemeteries might be permissible and could provide an opportunity for reflection on the sacrifices made by those interred, exercise within the grounds during hours of operation while interments are being conducted does not reflect the decorum desired by the Army. Additionally, unlike most VA cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery receives over 4 million tourists each year who visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy family gravesites, the Arlington House administered by the National Park Service, and other notable sites. The sheer number of visitors, tour buses, along with the 30 funeral processions which include escort elements, bands, and caissons that occur each day throughout the cemetery grounds do not provide a safe environment conducive to physical training.

The final comment concerned the prohibition of firearms. The commenter argued that Arlington National Cemetery is more analogous to a park than an Army installation and lacks the substantive access control and large security forces typically found on Army installations. The commenter further argued that there is no need to protect sensitive facilities and personnel at the Cemetery. The Army disagrees with this comment. Arlington Cemetery does have a substantial security force, exercises access control and shares the same type of security concerns found with other military facilities. Additionally, the cemetery hosts U.S. distinguished visitors, foreign Heads of State, and other dignitaries for over 3000 wreath laying ceremonies each year at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These funeral processions and official ceremonies require significantly greater security concerns than those found at typical parks cited by the commenter.

In addition to the comments provided by the public above, the final rule also includes three modifications from the draft rule released in the May-July public comment period. Two of the modifications were required to comply with Public Law 114-158, enacted on 20 May 2016 after the draft rule was released for public comment. This new law recently modified eligibility for inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery to include active duty designees as found in the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. The third modification was made by the cemetery staff to add clarity to eligibility for interment in the soon to be opened Tomb of Remembrance.

The two modifications required by Public Law were in § 553.1 Definitions, and § 553.13 Eligibility for inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery. The third modification to add clarity to eligibility for interment in the Tomb of Remembrance is captured in § 553.24, Subsequently recovered remains.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Army has determined that the Regulatory Flexibility Act does not apply because the rule does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities within the meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601-612.

C. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

The Army has determined that the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act does not apply because the rule does not include a mandate that may result in estimated costs to State, local, or tribal governments in the aggregate, or the private sector, of $100 million or more.

D. National Environmental Policy Act

Neither an environmental analysis nor an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act is required. The changes made to the prior regulation by this amendment reflect existing policies and does not significantly alter ongoing activities, nor does this amendment constitute a new use of the property.

E. Paperwork Reduction Act

The Army has determined that this rule does not impose reporting or recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

F. Executive Order 12630 (Government Actions and Interference With Constitutionally Protected Property Rights)

The Army has determined that E.O. 12630 does not apply because the rule does not impair private property rights.

G. Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory Planning and Review) and E.O. 13563 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review)

Executive Orders 13563 and 12866 direct agencies to assess all costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public health and safety effects, distribute impacts, and equity). Executive Order 13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and benefits, of reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, and of promoting flexibility. This rule has not been designated a “significant regulatory action” under section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866.

H. Executive Order 13045 (Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risk and Safety Risks)

The Army has determined that according to the criteria defined in E.O. 13045, the requirements of that Order do not apply to this rule.

I. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

The Army has determined that, according to the criteria defined in E.O. 13132, the requirements of that Order do not apply to this rule because the rule will not have a substantial effect on the States, on the relationship between the Federal government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.

Patrick K. Hallinan,

Executive Director.

List of Subjects in 32 CFR Part 553

• Armed forces
• Armed forces reserves
• Military personnel
• Monuments and memorials
• Veterans

For the reasons stated in the preamble, the Department of the Army revises 32 CFR part 553 to read as follows:

PART 553—ARMY NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERIES

553.1 Definitions.

553.2 Purpose.

553.3 Statutory authorities.

553.4 Scope and applicability.

553.5 Maintaining order.

553.6 Standards for managing Army National Military Cemeteries.

553.7 Arlington Memorial Amphitheater.

553.8 Permission to install utilities.

553.9 Assignment of gravesites or niches.

553.10 Proof of eligibility.

553.11 General rules governing eligibility for interment, inurnment, and memorialization at Arlington National Cemetery.

553.12 Eligibility for interment in Arlington National Cemetery.

553.13 Eligibility for inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery Columbarium.

553.14 Eligibility for interment of cremated remains in the Arlington National Cemetery Unmarked Area.

553.15 Eligibility for group burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

553.16 Eligibility for memorialization in an Arlington National Cemetery memorial area.

553.17 Arlington National Cemetery interment/inurnment agreement.

553.18 Eligibility for burial in U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.

553.19 Ineligibility for interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army National Military Cemetery.

553.20 Prohibition of interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army National Military Cemetery of persons who have committed certain crimes.

553.21 Findings concerning the commission of certain crimes where a person has not been convicted due to death or flight to avoid prosecution.

553.22 Exceptions to policies for interment, inurnment, or memorialization at Arlington National Cemetery.

553.23 Placement of cremated remains at Army National Military Cemeteries.

553.24 Subsequently recovered remains.

553.25 Disinterments and disinurnments of remains.

553.26 Design of Government-furnished headstones, niche covers, and memorial markers.

553.27 Inscriptions on Government-furnished headstones, niche covers, and memorial markers.

553.28 Private headstones and markers.

553.29 Permission to construct private headstones and markers.

553.30 Inscriptions on private headstones and markers.

553.31 Memorial and commemorative monuments (other than private headstones or markers).

553.32 Conduct of memorial services and ceremonies.

553.33 Visitors rules for Army National Military Cemeteries.

553.34 Soliciting and vending.

553.35 Media.

Authority: 10 U.S.C. 985, 1128, 1481, 1482, 3013, 4721-4726; 24 U.S.C. 295a, 412; 38 U.S.C. 2402 note, 2409- 2411, 2413; 40 U.S.C. 9102.

§ 553.1

Definitions.

As used in this part, the following terms have these meanings:

Active duty. Full-time duty in the active military service of the United States.

(1) This includes:

(i) Active Reserve component duty performed pursuant to title 10, United States Code.

(ii) Service as a cadet or midshipman currently on the rolls at the U.S. Military, U.S. Naval, U.S. Air Force, or U.S. Coast Guard Academies.

(iii) Active duty for operational support.

(iv) Persons whose service has been determined to be active duty service pursuant to section 401 of the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (Pub. L. 95-202; 38 U.S.C. 106 note) as of 20 May 2016 and the remains of that person were not already formally interred or inurned as of 20 May 2016 or that person died on or after 20 May 2016.

(2) This does not include:

(i) Full-time duty performed under title 32, United States Code.

(ii) Active duty for training, initial entry training, annual training duty, or inactive-duty training for members of the Reserve components.

Active duty for operational support (formerly active duty for special work).

A tour of active duty for Reserve personnel authorized from military or Reserve personnel appropriations for work on Active component or Reserve component programs. The purpose of active duty for operational support is to provide the necessary skilled manpower assets to support existing or emerging requirements and may include training.

Active duty for training. A category of active duty used to provide structured individual and/or unit training, including on-the-job training, or educational courses to Reserve component members. Included in the active duty for training category are annual training, initial active duty for training, or any other training duty.

Annual training. The minimum period of active duty for training that Reserve members must perform each year to satisfy the training requirements associated with their Reserve component assignment.

Armed Forces. The U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force and their Reserve components.

Army National Military Cemeteries. Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.

Category 4, 5, or 5+ Posts. Category 4, 5, or 5+ posts, including the equivalent classifications as determined by the Department of State that were used prior to 2004 or may be used subsequently.

Child, minor child, permanently dependent child, unmarried adult child.

(1) Child.

(i) Natural child of a primarily eligible person, born in wedlock;

(ii) Natural child of a female primarily eligible person, born out of wedlock;

(iii) Natural child of a male primarily eligible person, who was born out of wedlock and:

(A) Has been acknowledged in a writing signed by the male primarily eligible person;

(B) Has been judicially determined to be the male primarily eligible person's child;

(C) Whom the male primarily eligible person has been judicially ordered to support; or

(D) Has been otherwise proved, by evidence satisfactory to the Executive Director, to be the child of the male primarily eligible person

(iv) Adopted child of a primarily eligible person; or

(v) Stepchild who was part of the primarily eligible person's household at the time of death of the individual who is to be interred or inurned.

(2) Minor child. A child of the primarily eligible person who

(i) Is unmarried;

(ii) Has no dependents; and

(iii) Is under the age of twenty-one years, or is under the age of twenty-three years and is taking a full-time course of instruction at an educational institution which the U.S. Department of Education acknowledges as an accredited educational institution.

(3) Permanently dependent child. A child of the primarily eligible person who

(i) Is unmarried;

(ii) Has no dependents; and

(iii) Is permanently and fully dependent on one or both of the child's parents because of a physical or mental disability incurred before attaining the age of twenty-one years or before the age of twenty-three years while taking a full-time course of instruction at an educational institution which the U.S. Department of Education acknowledges as an accredited educational institution.

(4) Unmarried adult child. A child of the primarily eligible person who

(i) Is unmarried;

(ii) Has no dependents; and

(iii) Has attained the age of twenty-one years.

Close relative. The spouse, parents, adult brothers and sisters, adult natural children, adult stepchildren, and adult adopted children of a decedent.

Commemorative monuments. Monuments or other structures or landscape features that serve to honor events in history, units of the Armed Forces, individuals, or groups of individuals that served in the Armed Forces, and that do not contain human remains or mark the location of remains in close proximity. The term does not include memorial markers erected pursuant to § 553.16.

Derivatively eligible person. Any person who is entitled to interment or inurnment solely based on his or her relationship to a primarily eligible person, as set forth in §§ 553.12(b) and § 553.13(b) respectively.

Disinterment. The permanent removal of interred human remains from a particular gravesite.

Disinurnment. The permanent removal of remains from a particular niche.

Executive Director. The person statutorily charged with exercising authority, direction, and control over all aspects of Army National Military Cemeteries.

Federal capital crime. An offense under Federal law for which a sentence of imprisonment for life or the death penalty may be imposed.

Former prisoner of war. A person who is eligible for or has been awarded the Prisoner of War Medal.

Former spouse. See spouse.

Government. The U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities.

Group burial. Interment in one gravesite of one or more service members on active duty killed in the same incident or location where:

(1) The remains cannot be individually identified; or

(2) The person authorized to direct disposition of subsequently identified remains has authorized their interment with the other service members.

Group remains may contain incidental remains of civilians and foreign nationals.

Inactive-duty training.

(1) Duty prescribed for members of the Reserve components by the Secretary concerned under 37 U.S.C. 206 or any other provision of law.

(2) Special additional duties authorized for members of the Reserve components by an authority designated by the Secretary concerned and performed by them on a voluntary basis in connection with the prescribed training or maintenance activities of the units to which they are assigned.

(3) In the case of a member of the Army National Guard or Air National Guard of any State, duty (other than full-time duty) under 32 U.S.C. 316, 502, 503, 504 or 505 or the prior corresponding provisions of law.

(4) This term does not include:

(i) Work or study performed in connection with correspondence courses,

(ii) Attendance at an educational institution in an inactive status, or

(iii) Duty performed as a temporary member of the Coast Guard Reserve.

Interment. The ground burial of casketed or cremated human remains.

Inurnment. The placement of cremated human remains in a niche.

Media. Individuals and agencies that print, broadcast, or gather and transmit news, and their reporters, photographers, and employees.

Memorial marker. A headstone used to memorialize a service member or veteran whose remains are unavailable for reasons listed in § 553.16.

Memorial service or ceremony. Any activity intended to honor the memory of a person or persons interred, inurned, or memorialized in the Army National Military Cemeteries. This term includes private memorial services, public memorial services, public wreath laying ceremonies, and official ceremonies.

Minor child. See child.

Niche. An aboveground space constructed specifically for the placement of cremated human remains.

Official ceremony. A memorial service or ceremony approved by the Executive Director in which the primary participants are representatives of the Government, a State government, a foreign government, or an international organization authorized by the U.S. Department of State to participate in an official capacity.

Parent. A natural parent, a stepparent, a parent by adoption, or a person who for a period of not less than one year stood in loco parentis, or was granted legal custody by a court decree or statutory provision.

Permanently dependent child. See child.

Person authorized to direct disposition. The person primarily entitled to direct disposition of human remains and who elects to exercise that entitlement. Determination of such entitlement shall be made in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Personal representative. A person who has legal authority to act on behalf of another through applicable law, order, and regulation.

Primarily eligible person. Any person who is entitled to interment or inurnment based on his or her service as specified in § 553.12(a) and § 553.13(a) respectively.

Primary next of kin. (1) In the absence of a valid written document from the decedent identifying the primary next of kin, the order of precedence for designating a decedent's primary next of kin is as follows:

(i) Spouse, even if a minor;

(ii) Children;

(iii) Parents;

(iv) Siblings, to include half-blood and those acquired through adoption;

(v) Grandparents;

(vi) Other next of kin, in order of relationship to the decedent as determined by the laws of the decedent's state of domicile.

(2) Absent a court order or written document from the deceased, the precedence of next of kin with equal relationships to the decedent is governed by seniority (age), older having higher priority than younger. Equal relationship situations include those involving divorced parents of the decedent, children of the decedent, and siblings of the decedent.

Private headstones or markers. A headstone or individual memorial marker provided at private expense, in lieu of a headstone or individual memorial marker furnished by the Government.

Private memorial service. A memorial service or ceremony conducted at the decedent's gravesite, memorial headstone, or niche.

Public memorial service. A ceremony conducted by members of the public at a historic site in an Army National Military Cemetery.

Public wreath-laying ceremony. A ceremony in which members of the public, assisted by the Tomb Guards, present a wreath or similar memento at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Reserve component. The Army Reserve, the Navy Reserve, the Marine Corps Reserve, the Air Force Reserve, the Coast Guard Reserve, the Army National Guard of the United States, and the Air National Guard of the United States.

Spouse, former spouse, subsequently remarried spouse.

(1) Spouse. A person who is legally married to another person.

(2) Former spouse. A person who was legally married to another person at one time but was not legally married to that person at the time of one of their deaths.

(3) Subsequently remarried spouse. A derivatively eligible spouse who was married to the primarily eligible person at the time of the primarily eligible person's death and who subsequently remarried another person.

State capital crime. Under State law, the willful, deliberate, or premeditated unlawful killing of another human being for which a sentence of imprisonment for life or the death penalty may be imposed.

Subsequently recovered remains. Additional remains belonging to the decedent that are recovered or identified after the decedent's interment or inurnment.

Subsequently remarried spouse. See spouse.

Unmarried adult child. See child.

Veteran. A person who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and who was discharged or released under honorable conditions.

§ 553.2

Purpose.

This part specifies the authorities and assigns the responsibilities for the development, operation, maintenance, and administration of the Army National Military Cemeteries.

§ 553.3

Statutory authorities.

(a) Historical. Act of July 17, 1862, Sec. 18, 12 Stat. 594, 596; Act of February 22, 1867, Ch. 61, 14 Stat. 399; and the National Cemeteries Act of 1973, Public Law 93-43, 87 Stat. 75 (1973). The National Cemeteries Act established the National Cemetery System, which primarily consists of national cemeteries transferred from the management authority of the Department of the Army to the (now) Department of Veterans Affairs. Section 6(a) of the Act exempted Arlington National Cemetery and the Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery from transfer to the National Cemetery System, leaving them under the management authority of the Secretary of the Army.

(b) Current. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4721(a), the Secretary of the Army shall develop, operate, manage, oversee, and fund the Army National Military Cemeteries. Section 4721(c) provides that the Army National Military Cemeteries are under the jurisdiction of Headquarters, Department of the Army, and 10 U.S.C. 4721(d) provides that the Secretary of the Army shall prescribe such regulations and policies as may be necessary to administer the Army National Military Cemeteries. The responsibilities of Headquarters, Department of the Army with regard to the Army National Military Cemeteries are enumerated in 10 U.S.C. 4721-4726 and Army General Orders 2014-74 and 2014-75.

§ 553.4

Scope and applicability.

(a) Scope. The development, maintenance, administration, and operation of the Army National Military Cemeteries are governed by this part, Army Regulation 290-5, and Department of the Army Pamphlet 290-5. The development, maintenance, administration, and operation of Army post cemeteries are not covered by this part.

(b) Applicability. This part is applicable to all persons on, engaging in business with, or seeking access to or benefits from the Army National Military Cemeteries, unless otherwise specified.

§ 553.5

Maintaining order.

The Executive Director may order the removal from, and bar the re-entry onto, Army National Military Cemeteries of any person who acts in violation of any law or regulation, including but not limited to demonstrations and disturbances as outlined in 38 U.S.C. 2413, and in this part. This authority may not be re-delegated.

§ 553.6

Standards for managing Army National Military Cemeteries.

(a) The Executive Director is responsible for establishing and maintaining cemetery layout plans, including plans setting forth sections with gravesites, memorial areas with markers, and columbaria with niches, and landscape planting plans.

(b) New sections or areas may be opened and prepared for interments or for installing memorial markers only with the approval of the Executive Director.

§ 553.7

Arlington Memorial Amphitheater.

(a) In accordance with 24 U.S.C. 295a:

(1) No memorial may be erected and no remains may be entombed in the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater unless specifically authorized by Congress; and

(2) The character, design, or location of any memorial authorized by Congress for placement in the Amphitheater is subject to the approval of the Secretary of Defense or his or her designee.

(b) The Secretary of Defense or his or her designee will seek the advice of the Commission of Fine Arts in such matters, in accordance with 40 U.S.C. 9102.

(c) Tributes offered for those interred in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for placement in the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater display room are not memorials for purposes of this section.

§ 553.8

Permission to install utilities.

(a) The installation of utilities in Army National Military Cemeteries, including but not limited to, telephone and fiber optic lines, electric lines, natural gas lines, water pipes, storm drains, and sanitary sewers, must be authorized by the Executive Director.

(b) Requests for licenses, permits, or easements to install water, gas, or sewer lines, or other utilities or equipment on or across an Army National Military Cemetery or an approach road in which the Government has a right-of-way, fee simple title, or other interest, must be sent to the Executive Director, who will process the request in accordance with Army policy. Requests must include a complete description of the type of license, permit, or easement desired and a map showing the location of the project.

§ 553.9

Assignment of gravesites or niches.

(a) All eligible persons will be assigned gravesites or niches without discrimination as to race, color, sex, religion, age, or national origin and without preference to military grade or rank.

(b) The Army National Military Cemeteries will enforce a one-gravesite-per-family policy. Once the initial interment or inurnment is made in a gravesite or niche, each additional interment or inurnment of eligible persons must be made in the same gravesite or niche, except as noted in paragraph (f) of this section. This includes multiple primarily eligible persons if they are married to each other.

(c) In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 2410A(a)(2) the Secretary of the Army may waive the prohibition in paragraph (b) of this section as the Secretary of the Army deems appropriate.

(d) A gravesite reservation will be honored if it meets the following requirements, unless it is cancelled by the Executive Director:

(1) The gravesite was properly reserved by law before January 1, 1962, and

(2) An eligible person was interred in the reserved gravesite prior to January 1, 2017.

(e) The Executive Director may cancel a gravesite reservation:

(1) Upon determination that a derivatively eligible spouse has remarried;

(2) Upon determination that the reservee's remains have been buried elsewhere or otherwise disposed of;

(3) Upon determination that the reservee desires to or will be interred in the same gravesite with the predeceased, and doing so is feasible; or

(4) Upon determination that the reservee would be 120 years of age and there is no record of correspondence with the reservee within the last two decades.

(f) In cases of reservations meeting the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 2410A note, where more than one gravesite was reserved (on the basis of the veteran's eligibility at the time the reservation was made) and no interment has yet been made in any of the sites, the one-gravesite-per-family policy will be enforced, unless waived by the Executive Director. Gravesite reservations will be honored only if the decedents meet the eligibility criteria for interment in Arlington National Cemetery that is in effect at the time of need, and the reserved gravesite is available.

(g) Where a primarily eligible person has been or will be interred as part of a group burial or has been or will be memorialized in a memorial area at Arlington National Cemetery, the Executive Director will assign a gravesite or niche for interment or inurnment of a derivatively eligible person.

(h) Gravesites or niches shall not be reserved or assigned prior to the time of need.

(i) The selection of gravesites and niches is the responsibility of the Executive Director. The selection of specific gravesites or niches by the family or other representatives of the deceased at any time is prohibited.

§ 553.10

Proof of eligibility.

(a) The personal representative or primary next of kin is responsible for providing appropriate documentation to verify the decedent's eligibility for interment or inurnment.

(b) The personal representative or primary next of kin must certify in writing that the decedent is not prohibited from interment, inurnment, or memorialization under § 553.20 because he or she has committed or been convicted of a Federal or State capital crime or is a convicted Tier III sex offender as defined in 38 U.S.C. 2411.

(c) For service members who die on active duty, a statement of honorable service from a general court martial convening authority is required. If the certificate of honorable service cannot be granted, the service member is ineligible for interment, inurnment, and memorialization pursuant to § 553.19(i).

(d) When applicable, the following documents are required:

(1) Death certificate;

(2) Proof of eligibility as required by paragraphs (e) through (g) of this section;

(3) Any additional documentation to establish the decedent's eligibility (e.g., marriage certificate, birth certificate, waivers, statements that the decedent had no children);

(4) Burial agreement;

(5) Notarized statement that the remains are unavailable for the reasons set forth in § 553.16; and

(6) A certificate of cremation or notarized statement attesting to the authenticity of the cremated human remains and that 100% of the cremated remains received from the crematorium are present. The Executive Director may, however, allow a portion of the cremated remains to be removed by the crematorium for the sole purpose of producing commemorative items.

(7) Any other document as required by the Executive Director.

(e) The following documents may be used to establish the eligibility of a primarily eligible person:

(1) DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty;

(2) WD AGO 53 or 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation Honorable Discharge;

(3) WD AGO 53-98, Military Record and Report of Separation Certificate of Service;

(4) NAVPERS-553, Notice of Separation from U.S. Naval Service;

(5) NAVMC 70-PD, Honorable Discharge, U.S. Marine Corps; or;

(6) DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty (required in the case of death of an active duty service member).

(f) In addition to the documents otherwise required by this section, a request for interment or inurnment of a subsequently remarried spouse must be accompanied by:

(1) A notarized statement from the new spouse of the subsequently remarried spouse agreeing to the interment or inurnment and relinquishing any claim for interment or inurnment in the same gravesite or niche.

(2) Notarized statement(s) from all of the children from the prior marriage agreeing to the interment or inurnment of their parents in the same gravesite or niche.

(g) In addition to the documents otherwise required by this section, a request for interment or inurnment of a permanently dependent child must be accompanied by:

(1) A notarized statement as to the marital status and degree of dependency of the decedent from an individual with direct knowledge; and

(2) A physician's statement regarding the nature and duration of the physical or mental disability; and

(3) A statement from someone with direct knowledge demonstrating the following factors:

(i) The deceased lived most of his or her adult life with one or both parents, one or both of whom are otherwise eligible for interment;

(ii) The decedent's children, siblings, or other family members, other than the eligible parent, waive any derivative claim to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, in accordance with the Arlington National Cemetery Burial Agreement.

(h) Veterans or primary next of kin of deceased veterans may obtain copies of their military records by writing to the National Personnel Records Center, Attention: Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63132 or using their Web site. All others may request a record by completing and submitting Standard Form 180.

(i) The burden of proving eligibility lies with the party who requests the burial. The Executive Director will determine whether the submitted evidence is sufficient to support a finding of eligibility.

§ 553.11

General rules governing eligibility for interment, inurnment, and memorialization at Arlington National Cemetery.

(a) Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.12 or are granted an exception to policy pursuant to § 553.22 may be interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.13 or are granted an exception to policy pursuant to § 553.22 may be inurned in Arlington National Cemetery. Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.14 may be interred in the Arlington National Cemetery Unmarked Area. Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.15 may be interred in an Arlington National Cemetery group burial. Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.16 may be memorialized in Arlington National Cemetery.

(b) Derivative eligibility for interment or inurnment may be established only through a decedent's connection to a primarily eligible person and not to another derivatively eligible person.

(c) No veteran is eligible for interment, inurnment, or memorialization in Arlington National Cemetery unless the veteran's last period of active duty ended with an honorable discharge. A general discharge under honorable conditions is not sufficient for interment, inurnment or memorialization in Arlington National Cemetery.

(d) For purposes of determining whether a service member has received an honorable discharge, final determinations regarding discharges made in accordance with procedures established by chapter 79 of title 10, United States Code, will be considered authoritative.

(e) The Secretary of the Army has the authority to act on requests for exceptions to the provisions of the interment, inurnment, and memorialization eligibility policies contained in this part. The Secretary of the Army may delegate this authority to the Executive Director on such terms deemed appropriate.

(f) Individuals who do not qualify as a primarily eligible person or a derivatively eligible person, but who are granted an exception to policy to be interred or inurned pursuant to § 553.22 in a new gravesite or niche, will be treated as a primarily eligible person for purposes of this part.

(g) Notwithstanding any other section in this part, memorialization with an individual memorial marker, interment, or inurnment in the Army National Military Cemeteries is prohibited if there is a gravesite, niche, or individual memorial marker for the decedent in any other Government-operated cemetery or the Government has provided an individual grave marker, individual memorial marker or niche cover for placement in a private cemetery.

§ 553.12

Eligibility for interment in Arlington National Cemetery.

Only those who qualify as a primarily eligible person or a derivatively eligible person are eligible for interment in Arlington National Cemetery, unless otherwise prohibited as provided for in §§ 553.19-553.20, provided that the last period of active duty of the service member or veteran ended with an honorable discharge.

(a) Primarily eligible persons. The following are primarily eligible persons for purposes of interment:

(1) Any service member who dies on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces (except those service members serving on active duty for training only), if the General Courts Martial Convening Authority grants a certificate of honorable service.

(2) Any veteran retired from a Reserve component who served a period of active duty (other than for training), is carried on the official retired list, and is entitled to receive military retired pay.

(3) Any veteran retired from active military service and entitled to receive military retired pay.

(4) Any veteran who received an honorable discharge from the Armed Forces prior to October 1, 1949, who was discharged for a permanent physical disability, who served on active duty (other than for training), and who would have been eligible for retirement under the provisions of 10 U.S.C. 1201 had the statute been in effect on the date of separation.

(5) Any veteran awarded one of the following decorations:

(i) Medal of Honor;

(ii) Distinguished Service Cross, Air Force Cross, or Navy Cross;

(iii) Distinguished Service Medal;

(iv) Silver Star; or

(v) Purple Heart.

(6) Any veteran who served on active duty (other than active duty for training) and who held any of the following positions:

(i) President or Vice President of the United States;

(ii) Elected member of the U.S. Congress;

(iii) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States or Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States;

(iv) A position listed, at the time the person held the position, in 5 U.S.C. 5312 or 5313 (Levels I and II of the Executive Schedule); or

(v) Chief of Mission of a Category 4, 5, or 5+ post if the Department of State classified that post as a Category 4, 5, or 5+ post during the person's tenure as Chief of Mission.

(7) Any former prisoner of war who, while a prisoner of war, served honorably in the active military service, and who died on or after November 30, 1993.

(b) Derivatively eligible persons. The following individuals are derivatively eligible persons for purposes of interment who may be interred if space is available in the gravesite of the primarily eligible person:

(1) The spouse of a primarily eligible person who is or will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery. A former spouse of a primarily eligible person is not eligible for interment in Arlington National Cemetery under this paragraph.

(2) The spouse of an active duty service member or an eligible veteran, who was:

(i) Lost or buried at sea, temporarily interred overseas due to action by the Government, or officially determined to be missing in action;

(ii) Buried in a U.S. military cemetery maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission; or

(iii) Interred in Arlington National Cemetery as part of a group burial (the derivatively eligible spouse may not be buried in the group burial gravesite).

(3) The parents of a minor child or a permanently dependent adult child, whose remains were interred in Arlington National Cemetery based on the eligibility of a parent at the time of the child's death, unless eligibility of the non-service connected parent is lost through divorce from the primarily eligible parent.

(4) An honorably discharged veteran who does not qualify as a primarily eligible person, if the veteran will be buried in the same gravesite as an already interred primarily eligible person who is a close relative, where the interment meets the following conditions:

(i) The veteran is without minor or unmarried adult dependent children;

(ii) The veteran will not occupy space reserved for the spouse, a minor child, or a permanently dependent adult child;

(iii) All other close relatives of the primarily eligible person concur with the interment of the veteran with the primarily eligible person by signing a notarized statement;

(iv) The veteran's spouse waives any entitlement to interment in Arlington National Cemetery, where such entitlement might be based on the veteran's interment in Arlington National Cemetery. The Executive Director may set aside the spouse's waiver, provided space is available in the same gravesite, and all close relatives of the primarily eligible person concur;

(v) Any cost of moving, recasketing, or revaulting the remains will be paid from private funds; and

§ 553.13

Eligibility for inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery Columbarium.

The following persons are eligible for inurnment in the Arlington National Cemetery Columbarium, unless otherwise prohibited as provided for in §§ 553.19-553.20, provided that the last period of active duty of the service member or veteran ended with an honorable discharge.

(a) Primarily eligible persons. The following are primarily eligible persons for purposes of inurnment:

(1) Any person eligible for interment in Arlington National Cemetery, as provided for in § 553.12(a).

(2) Any veteran who served on active duty other than active duty for training.

(3) Any member of a Reserve component of the Armed Forces who dies while:

(i) On active duty for training or performing full-time duty under title 32, United States Code;

(ii) Performing authorized travel to or from such active duty for training or full-time duty;

(iii) On authorized inactive-duty training, including training performed as a member of the Army National Guard of the United States or the Air National Guard of the United States; or

(iv) Hospitalized or receiving treatment at the expense of the Government for an injury or disease incurred or contracted while on such active duty for training or full-time duty, traveling to or from such active duty for training or full-time duty, or on inactive-duty training.

(4) Any member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps of the United States, Army, Navy, or Air Force, whose death occurs while:

(i) Attending an authorized training camp or cruise;

(ii) Performing authorized travel to or from that camp or cruise; or

(iii) Hospitalized or receiving treatment at the expense of the Government for injury or disease incurred or contracted while attending such camp or cruise or while traveling to or from such camp or cruise.

(5) Any citizen of the United States who, during any war in which the United States has been or may hereafter be engaged, served in the armed forces of any government allied with the United States during that war, whose last service ended honorably by death or otherwise, and who was a citizen of the United States at the time of entry into that service and at the time of death.

(6) Commissioned officers, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (now National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) who die during or subsequent to the service specified in the following categories and whose last service terminated honorably:

(i) Assignment to areas of immediate military hazard.

(ii) Served in the Philippine Islands on December 7, 1941.

(iii) Transferred to the Department of the Army or the Department of the Navy under certain statutes.

(7) Any commissioned officer of the United States Public Health Service who served on full-time duty on or after July 29, 1945, if the service falls within the meaning of active duty for training as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(22) or inactive duty training as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(23) and whose death resulted from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty. Also, any commissioned officer of the Regular or Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service who performed active service prior to July 29, 1945 in time of war; on detail for duty with the Armed Forces; or while the service was part of the military forces of the United States pursuant to Executive order of the President.

(8) Any Active Duty Designee as defined in this part.

(b) Derivatively eligible persons. Those connected to an individual described in paragraph (a) of this section through a relationship described in § 553.12(b). Such individuals may be inurned if space is available in the primarily eligible person's niche.

§ 553.14

Eligibility for interment of cremated remains in the Arlington National Cemetery Unmarked Area.

(a) The cremated remains of any person eligible for interment in Arlington National Cemetery as described in § 553.12 may be interred in the designated Arlington National Cemetery Unmarked Area.

(b) Cremated remains must be interred in a biodegradable container or placed directly into the ground without a container. Cremated remains are not authorized to be scattered at this site or at any location within Arlington National Cemetery.

(c) There will be no headstone or marker for any person choosing this method of interment. A permanent register will be maintained by the Executive Director.

(d) Consistent with the one-gravesite-per-family policy, once a person is interred in the Unmarked Area, any derivatively eligible persons and spouses must be interred in this manner. This includes spouses who are also primarily eligible persons. No additional gravesite, niche, or memorial marker in a memorial area will be authorized.

§ 553.15

Eligibility for group burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

(a) The Executive Director may authorize a group burial in Arlington National Cemetery whenever several people, at least one of whom is an active duty service member, die during a military-related activity and not all remains can be individually identified.

(b) Before authorizing a group burial that includes both United States and foreign decedents, the Executive Director will notify the Department of State and request that the Department of State notify the appropriate foreign embassy.

§ 553.16

Eligibility for memorialization in an Arlington National Cemetery memorial area.

(a) With the authority granted by 38 U.S.C. 2409, a memorial marker may be placed in an Arlington National Cemetery memorial area to honor the memory of service members or veterans, who are eligible for interment under § 553.12(a) and:

(1) Who are missing in action;

(2) Whose remains have not been recovered or identified;

(3) Whose remains were buried at sea, whether by the member's or veteran's own choice or otherwise;

(4) Whose remains were donated to science; or

(5) Whose remains were cremated and the cremated remains were scattered without interment or inurnment of any portion of those remains.

(b) When the remains of a primarily eligible person are unavailable for one of the reasons listed in paragraph (a) of this section, and a derivatively eligible person who predeceased the primarily eligible person is already interred or inurned in Arlington National Cemetery, the primarily eligible person may be memorialized only on the existing headstone or on a replacement headstone, ordered with a new inscription. Consistent with the one-gravesite-per-family policy, a separate marker in a memorial area is not authorized.

(c) When a memorial marker for a primarily eligible person is already in place in a memorial area, and a derivatively eligible person is subsequently interred or inurned in Arlington National Cemetery, an inscription memorializing the primarily eligible person will be placed on the new headstone or niche cover. Consistent with the one-gravesite-per-family policy, the memorial marker will then be removed from the memorial area.

§ 553.17

Arlington National Cemetery interment/inurnment agreement.

(a) A derivatively eligible person who predeceases the primarily eligible person may be interred or inurned in Arlington National Cemetery only if the primarily eligible person agrees in writing to be interred in the same gravesite or inurned in the same niche at his or her time of need and that his or her estate shall pay for all expenses related to disinterment or disinurnment of the predeceased person from Arlington National Cemetery if the primarily eligible person is not interred or inurned as agreed.

(b) If the primarily eligible person becomes ineligible for interment or inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery or the personal representative or primary next of kin decides that the primarily eligible person will be interred or inurned elsewhere, the remains of any predeceased person may be removed from Arlington National Cemetery at no cost to the Government.

§ 553.18

Eligibility for burial in U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.

Only the residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home are eligible for interment in the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery. Resident eligibility criteria for the Armed Forces Retirement Home is provided for at 24 U.S.C. 412.

§ 553.19

Ineligibility for interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army National Military Cemetery.

The following persons are not eligible for interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army National Military Cemetery:

(a) A father, mother, brother, sister, or in-law solely on the basis of his or her relationship to a primarily eligible person, even though the individual is:

(1) Dependent on the primarily eligible person for support; or

(2) A member of the primarily eligible person's household.

(b) A person whose last period of service was not characterized as an honorable discharge (e.g., a separation or discharge under general but honorable conditions, other than honorable conditions, a bad conduct discharge, a dishonorable discharge, or a dismissal), regardless of whether the person:

(1) Received any other veterans' benefits; or

(2) Was treated at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital or died in such a hospital.

(c) A person who has volunteered for service with the U.S. Armed Forces, but has not yet entered on active duty.

(d) A former spouse whose marriage to the primarily eligible person ended in divorce.

(e) A spouse who predeceases the primarily eligible person and is interred or inurned in a location other than Arlington National Cemetery, and the primarily eligible person remarries.

(f) A divorced spouse of a primarily eligible person.

(g) Otherwise derivatively eligible persons, such as a spouse or minor child, if the primarily eligible person was not or will not be interred or inurned at Arlington National Cemetery.

(h) A service member who dies while on active duty, if the first General Courts Martial Convening Authority in the service member's chain of command determines that there is clear and convincing evidence that the service member engaged in conduct that would have resulted in a separation or discharge not characterized as an honorable discharge (e.g., a separation or discharge under general but honorable conditions, other than honorable conditions, a bad conduct discharge, a dishonorable discharge, or a dismissal) being imposed, but for the death of the service member.

(i) Animal remains. If animal remains are unintentionally commingled with human remains due to a natural disaster, unforeseen accident, act of war or terrorism, violent explosion, or similar incident, and such remains cannot be separated from the remains of an eligible person, then the remains may be interred or inurned with the eligible person, but the identity of the animal remains shall not be inscribed or identified on a niche, marker, headstone, or otherwise.

§ 553.20

Prohibition of interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army National Military Cemetery of persons who have committed certain crimes.

(a) Prohibition. Notwithstanding §§ 553.12-553.16, 553.18, and 553.22, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 985 and 38 U.S.C. 2411, the interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army National Military Cemetery of any of the following persons is prohibited:

(1) Any person identified in writing to the Executive Director by the Attorney General of the United States, prior to his or her interment, inurnment, or memorialization, as a person who has been convicted of a Federal capital crime and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the President).

(2) Any person identified in writing to the Executive Director by an appropriate State official, prior to his or her interment, inurnment, or memorialization, as a person who has been convicted of a State capital crime and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the Governor of the State).

(3) Any person found under procedures specified in § 553.21 to have committed a Federal or State capital crime but who has not been convicted of such crime by reason of such person not being available for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution. Notice from officials is not required for this prohibition to apply.

(4) Any person identified in writing to the Executive Director by the Attorney General of the United States or by an appropriate State official, prior to his or her interment, inurnment, or memorialization, as a person who has been convicted of a Federal or State crime causing the person to be a Tier III sex offender for purposes of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, who for such crime is sentenced to a minimum of life imprisonment and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the President or the Governor of a State, as the case may be).

(b) Notice. The Executive Director is designated as the Secretary of the Army's representative authorized to receive from the appropriate Federal or State officials notification of conviction of capital crimes referred to in this section.

(c) Confirmation of person's eligibility. (1) If notice has not been received, but the Executive Director has reason to believe that the person may have been convicted of a Federal capital crime or a State capital crime, the Executive Director shall seek written confirmation from:

(i) The Attorney General of the United States, with respect to a suspected Federal capital crime; or

(ii) An appropriate State official, with respect to a suspected State capital crime.

(2) The Executive Director will defer the decision on whether to inter, inurn, or memorialize a decedent until a written response is received.

§ 553.21

Findings concerning the commission of certain crimes where a person has not been convicted due to death or flight to avoid prosecution.

(a) Preliminary inquiry. If the Executive Director has reason to believe that a decedent may have committed a Federal capital crime or a State capital crime but has not been convicted of such crime by reason of such person not being available for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution, the Executive Director shall submit the issue to the Army General Counsel. The Army General Counsel or his or her designee shall initiate a preliminary inquiry seeking information from Federal, State, or local law enforcement officials, or other sources of potentially relevant information.

(b) Decision after preliminary inquiry. If, after conducting the preliminary inquiry described in paragraph (a) of this section, the Army General Counsel or designee determines that credible evidence exists suggesting the decedent may have committed a Federal capital crime or State capital crime, then further proceedings under this section are warranted to determine whether the decedent committed such crime. Consequently the Army General Counsel or his or her designee shall present the personal representative with a written notification of such preliminary determination and a dated, written notice of the personal representative's procedural options.

(c) Notice and procedural options. The notice of procedural options shall indicate that, within fifteen days, the personal representative may:

(1) Request a hearing;

(2) Withdraw the request for interment, inurnment, or memorialization; or

(3) Do nothing, in which case the request for interment, inurnment, or memorialization will be considered to have been withdrawn.

(d) Time computation. The fifteen-day time period begins on the calendar day immediately following the earlier of the day the notice of procedural options is delivered in person to the personal representative or is sent by U.S. registered mail or, if available, by electronic means to the personal representative. It ends at midnight on the fifteenth day. The period includes weekends and holidays.

(e) Hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to allow the personal representative to present additional information regarding whether the decedent committed a Federal capital crime or a State capital crime. In lieu of making a personal appearance at the hearing, the personal representative may submit relevant documents for consideration.

(1) If a hearing is requested, the Army General Counsel or his or her designee shall conduct the hearing.

(2) The hearing shall be conducted in an informal manner.

(3) The rules of evidence shall not apply.

(4) The personal representative and witnesses may appear, at no expense to the Government, and shall, in the discretion of the Army General Counsel or his or her designee, testify under oath. Oaths must be administered by a person who possesses the legal authority to administer oaths.

(5) The Army General Counsel or designee shall consider any and all relevant information obtained.

(6) The hearing shall be appropriately recorded. Upon request, a copy of the record shall be provided to the personal representative.

(f) Final determination. After considering the opinion of the Army General Counsel or his or her designee, and any additional information submitted by the personal representative, the Secretary of the Army or his or her designee shall determine the decedent's eligibility for interment, inurnment, or memorialization. This determination is final and not appealable.

(1) The determination shall be based on evidence that supports or undermines a conclusion that the decedent's actions satisfied the elements of the crime as established by the law of the jurisdiction in which the decedent would have been prosecuted.

(2) If an affirmative defense is offered by the decedent's personal representative, a determination as to whether the defense was met shall be made according to the law of the jurisdiction in which the decedent would have been prosecuted.

(3) Mitigating evidence shall not be considered.

(4) The opinion of the local, State, or Federal prosecutor as to whether he or she would have brought charges against the decedent had the decedent been available is relevant but not binding and shall be given no more weight than other facts presented.

(g) Notice of decision. The Executive Director shall provide written notification of the Secretary's decision to the personal representative.

§ 553.22

Exceptions to policies for interment, inurnment, or memorialization at Arlington National Cemetery.

(a) As a national military cemetery, eligibility standards for interment, inurnment, or memorialization are based on honorable military service. Exceptions to the eligibility standards for new graves are rarely granted. When granted, exceptions are for those persons who have made significant contributions that directly and substantially benefited the U.S. military.

(b) Requests for an exception to the interment or inurnment eligibility policies shall be considered only after the individual's death.

(c) Requests for an exception to the interment or inurnment eligibility policies shall be submitted to the Executive Director and shall include any documents required by the Executive Director.

(d) The primary next of kin is responsible for providing and certifying the authenticity of all documents and swearing to the accuracy of the accounting provided to support the request for exception to the interment or inurnment eligibility policies.

(e) Disapproved requests will be reconsidered only when the personal representative or next of kin submits new and substantive information not previously considered by the Secretary of the Army. Requests for reconsideration shall be submitted directly to the Executive Director. Requests for reconsideration not supported by new and substantive information will be denied by the Executive Director after review and advice from the Army General Counsel or his or her designee. The Executive Director shall notify the personal representative or next of kin of the decision of the reconsideration. The decision by the Secretary of the Army or the Executive Director, as the case may be, is final and not appealable.

(f) Under no circumstances, will exceptions to policies be considered or granted for those individuals prohibited from interment by virtue of § 553.20 or § 553.21.

§ 553.23

Placement of cremated remains at Army National Military Cemeteries.

All cremated remains shall be interred or inurned. The scattering of cremated remains and the burial of symbolic containers are prohibited in Army National Military Cemeteries.

§ 553.24

Subsequently recovered remains.

Subsequently recovered identified remains of a decedent shall be reunited in one gravesite or urn, or as part of a group burial either in an Army National Military Cemetery or other cemetery. Subsequently recovered identified remains may also be interred in the Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of Remembrance. Unidentified remains (which may or may not be comingled) may also be interred in the Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of Remembrance.

§ 553.25

Disinterments and disinurnments of remains.

(a) Interments and inurnments in Army National Military Cemeteries are considered permanent.

(b) Requests for disinterment or disinurnment of individually buried or inurned remains are considered requests for exceptions to this policy, and must be addressed to the Executive Director for decision. The request must include:

(1) A full statement of the reasons for the disinterment or disinurnment of the remains from the personal representative or primary next of kin who directed the original interment or inurnment if still living, or if not, the current personal representative or primary next of kin;

(2) A notarized statement from each living close relative of the decedent that he or she does not object to the proposed disinterment or disinurnment; and

(3) A notarized statement by a person who has personal knowledge of the decedent's relatives stating that the persons giving statements comprise all of the decedent's living close relatives.

(4) An appropriate funding source for the disinterment or disinurnment, as disinterments and disinurnments of individually buried or inurned remains must be accomplished without expense to the Government.

(c) The Executive Director shall carry out disinterments and disinurnments directed by a court of competent jurisdiction upon presentation of a lawful, original court order and after consulting with the Army General Counsel or his or her designee.

(d) Remains interred in a group burial may be disinterred only if, after the completion of identification processing of any subsequently recovered remains, each decedent's remains have not been individually identified and it is determined that available technology is likely to assist in the identification process of the previously interred group remains. Requests for disinterment of group remains must be addressed to the Executive Director by the appropriate Military Department's Secretary or his or her designee for decision. The request must include:

(1) A statement from the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command certifying that subsequent to the interment or inurnment of the decedents, remains have been recovered from the site of the casualty incident, and that the remains of each individual U.S. citizen, legal resident, or former service member have not been previously identified from either the remains originally recovered or from the subsequently recovered portions.

(2) Sufficient circumstantial and anatomical evidence from the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command, which when combined with contemporary forensic or other scientific techniques, would lead to a high probability of individual identification of the interred group remains.

(3) Copies of the Military Department's notification to all the living close relatives of the decedents advising them of the proposed disinterment.

(4) A time period identified by the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command during which it proposes to perform forensic or scientific techniques for individual identification processing.

(5) An anticipated time period as to when the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command will return any unidentified remains to Arlington National Cemetery or will notify the cemetery that individual identifications of the group remains are complete and no remains will be returned.

(e) Disinterment or disinurnment is not permitted for the sole purpose of splitting remains or permanently keeping any portion of the remains in a location other than Arlington National Cemetery.

(f) Disinterment of previously designated group remains for the sole purpose of individually segregating the group remains is not permitted unless the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section are met.

§ 553.26

Design of Government-furnished headstones, niche covers, and memorial markers.

(a) Headstones and memorial markers shall be white marble in an upright slab design. Flat-type granite markers may be used, at the Executive Director's discretion, when the terrain or other obstruction precludes use of an upright marble headstone or memorial marker.

(b) Niche covers shall be white marble.

(c) The Executive Director shall approve the design of headstones and memorial markers erected for group burials, consistent with the policies of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

§ 553.27

Inscriptions on Government-furnished headstones, niche covers, and memorial markers.

(a) Inscriptions on Government-furnished headstones, niche covers, and memorial markers will be made according to the policies and specifications of the Secretary of the Army, consistent with the policies of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

(b) No grades, titles, or ranks other than military grades granted pursuant to title 10, United States Code, will be engraved on Government-furnished headstones, niche covers, and memorial markers. Honorary grades, titles, or ranks granted by States, governors, and others shall not be inscribed on headstones, niche covers, or memorial markers.

(c) Memorial markers must include the words “In Memory of” preceding the inscription.

(d) The words “In Memory of” shall not precede the inscription of a decedent whose remains are interred or inurned.

§ 553.28

Private headstones and markers.

(a) Construction and installation of private headstones and markers in lieu of Government-furnished headstones and markers is permitted only in sections of Army National Military Cemeteries in which private memorials and markers were authorized as of January 1, 1947. These headstones or markers must be of simple design, dignified, and appropriate for a military cemetery as determined by the Executive Director.

(b) The design and inscription of a private headstone or marker must be approved by the Executive Director prior to its construction and placement. All private headstones and markers will be designed to conform to the dimensions and profiles specified by the Executive Director and will be inscribed with the location of the gravesite.

(c) Placement of a private headstone or marker is conditional upon the primary next of kin agreeing in writing to maintain it in a manner acceptable to the Government. Should the headstone or marker become unserviceable at any time and the primary next of kin fail to repair or replace it, or if the marker is not updated to reflect all persons buried in that gravesite within 6 months of the most recent burial, the Executive Director reserves the right to remove and dispose of the headstone or marker and replace it with a standard, Government-furnished headstone or marker.

(d) The construction of a headstone or marker to span two gravesites will be permitted only in those sections in which headstones and markers are presently spanning two gravesites and only with the express understanding that in the event both gravesites are not utilized for burials, the headstone or marker will be relocated to the center of the occupied gravesite, if possible. Such relocation must be accomplished at no expense to the Government. The Executive Director reserves the right to remove and dispose of the headstone or marker and to mark the gravesite with a Government-furnished headstone or marker if the personal representative or primary next of kin fails to relocate the headstone or marker as requested by the Executive Director.

(e) Separate headstones or markers may be constructed on a lot (two gravesites) for a service member and spouse, provided that each headstone or marker is set at the head of the gravesite after interment has been made.

(f) At the time a headstone or marker is purchased, arrangements must be made with an appropriate commercial firm to ensure that additional inscriptions will be promptly inscribed following each succeeding interment in the gravesite. Foot markers must be authorized by the Executive Director and may only be authorized when there is no available space for an inscription on the front or rear of a private headstone.

(g) Except as may be authorized for marking group burials, ledger monuments of freestanding cross design, narrow shafts, and mausoleums are prohibited.

§ 553.29

Permission to construct private headstones and markers.

(a) Headstone firms must receive permission from the Executive Director to construct a private headstone or marker for use in Army National Military Cemeteries or to add an inscription to an existing headstone or marker in an Army National Military Cemetery.

(b) Requests for permission must be submitted to the Executive Director and must include:

(1) Written consent from the personal representative or primary next of kin;

(2) Contact information for both the personal representative or primary next of kin and the headstone firm; and

(3) A scale drawing (no less than 1:12) showing all dimensions, or a reproduction showing detailed specifications of design and proposed construction material, finishing, carving, lettering, exact inscription to appear on the headstone or marker, and a trademark or copyright designation.

(c) The Army does not endorse headstone firms but grants permission for the construction of headstones or markers in individual cases.

(d) When using sandblast equipment to add an inscription to an existing headstone or marker, headstone firms shall restore the surrounding grounds in a timely manner as determined by the Executive Director to the condition of the grounds before work began and at no expense to the Government.

§ 553.30

Inscriptions on private headstones and markers.

An appropriate inscription for the decedent will be placed on the headstone or marker in accordance with the dimensions of the stone and arranged in such a manner as to enhance the appearance of the stone. Additional inscriptions may be inscribed following each succeeding interment in the gravesite. All inscriptions will be in accordance with policies established by the Executive Director.

§ 553.31

Memorial and commemorative monuments (other than private headstones or markers).

The placement of memorials or commemorative monuments in Arlington National Cemetery will be carried out in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 2409(b).

§ 553.32

Conduct of memorial services and ceremonies.

(a) The Executive Director shall ensure the sanctity of public and private memorial and ceremonial events.

(b) All memorial services and ceremonies within Army National Military Cemeteries, other than official ceremonies, shall be purely memorial in purpose and may be dedicated only to:

(1) The memory of all those interred, inurned, or memorialized in Army National Military Cemeteries;

(2) The memory of all those who died in the military service of the United States while serving during a particular conflict or while serving in a particular military unit or units; or

(3) The memory of the individual or individuals to be interred, inurned, or memorialized at the particular site at which the service or ceremony is held.

(c) Memorial services and ceremonies at Army National Military Cemeteries will not include partisan political activities.

(d) Private memorial services may be closed to the media and public as determined by the decedent's primary next of kin.

(e) Public memorial services and public wreath-laying ceremonies shall be open to all members of the public to observe.

§ 553.33

Visitors rules for Army National Military Cemeteries.

(a) Visiting hours. Visiting hours shall be established by the Executive Director and posted in conspicuous places. No visitor is permitted to enter or remain in an Army National Military Cemetery outside the established visiting hours.

(b) Destruction or removal of property. No person shall destroy, damage, mutilate, alter, or remove any monument, gravestone, niche cover, structure, tree, shrub, plant, or other property located within an Army National Military Cemetery.

(c) Conduct within Army National Military Cemeteries. Army National Military Cemeteries are a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and certain acts and activities, which may be appropriate elsewhere, are not appropriate in Army National Military Cemeteries. All visitors, including persons attending or taking part in memorial services and ceremonies, shall observe proper standards of decorum and decency while in an Army National Military Cemetery. Specifically, no person shall:

(1) Conduct any memorial service or ceremony within an Army National Military Cemetery without the prior approval of the Executive Director.

(2) Engage in demonstrations prohibited by 38 U.S.C. 2413.

(3) Engage in any orations, speeches, or similar conduct to assembled groups of people, unless such actions are part of a memorial service or ceremony authorized by the Executive Director.

(4) Display any placards, banners, flags, or similar devices within an Army National Military Cemetery, unless first approved by the Executive Director for use in an authorized memorial service or ceremony. This rule does not apply to clothing worn by visitors.

(5) Distribute any handbill, pamphlet, leaflet, or other written or printed matter within an Army National Military Cemetery, except a program approved by the Executive Director to be provided to attendees of an authorized memorial service or ceremony.

(6) Bring a dog, cat, or other animal (other than a service animal or military working dog) within an Army National Military Cemetery. This prohibition does not apply to persons living in quarters located on the grounds of the Army National Military Cemeteries.

(7) Use the cemetery grounds for recreational activities (e.g., physical exercise, running, jogging, sports, or picnics).

(8) Ride a bicycle or similar conveyance in an Army National Military Cemetery, except with a proper pass issued by the Executive Director to visit a gravesite or niche. An individual visiting a relative's gravesite or niche may be issued a temporary pass by the Executive Director to proceed directly to and from the gravesite or niche on a bicycle or similar vehicle or conveyance.

(9) Operate a musical instrument, a loudspeaker, or an audio device without a headset within an Army National Military Cemetery.

(10) Drive any motor vehicle within an Army National Military Cemetery in excess of the posted speed limit.

(11) Park any motor vehicle in any area of an Army National Military Cemetery designated as a no-parking area.

(12) Leave any vehicle in the Arlington National Cemetery Visitors' Center parking area or Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery visitors' parking area more than thirty minutes outside of established visiting hours or anywhere else in an Army National Military Cemetery outside of established visiting hours.

(13) Consume or serve alcoholic beverages without prior written permission from the Executive Director.

(14) Possess firearms without prior written permission from the Executive Director. This prohibition does not apply to law enforcement and military personnel in the performance of their official duties. In accordance with locally established policy, military and law enforcement personnel may be required to obtain advance permission from the Executive Director of the Army National Military Cemeteries prior to possessing firearms on the property of an Army National Military Cemetery.

(15) Deposit or throw litter or trash on the grounds of the Army National Military Cemeteries.

(16) Engage in any disrespectful or disorderly conduct within an Army National Military Cemetery.

(d) Vehicular traffic. All visitors, including persons attending or taking part in memorial services and ceremonies, will observe the following rules concerning motor vehicle traffic within Arlington National Cemetery:

(1) Visitors arriving by car and not entitled to a vehicle pass pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section are required to park their vehicles in the Visitors' Center parking area or at a location outside of the cemetery.

(2) Only the following categories of vehicles may be permitted access to Arlington National Cemetery roadways and issued a permanent or temporary pass from the Executive Director:

(i) Official Government vehicles being used on official Government business.

(ii) Vehicles carrying persons on official Cemetery business.

(iii) Vehicles forming part of an authorized funeral procession and authorized to be part of that procession.

(iv) Vehicles carrying persons visiting the Arlington National Cemetery gravesites, niches, or memorial areas of relatives or loved ones interred, inurned, or memorialized within Arlington National Cemetery.

(v) Arlington National Cemetery and National Park Service maintenance vehicles.

(vi) Vehicles of contractors who are authorized to perform work within Arlington National Cemetery.

(vii) Concessionaire tour buses authorized by the Executive Director to operate in Arlington National Cemetery.

(viii) Vehicles of employees of ANMC as authorized by the Executive Director.

§ 553.34

Soliciting and vending.

The display or distribution of commercial advertising to or solicitation of business from the public is strictly prohibited within an Army National Military Cemetery, except as authorized by the Executive Director.

§ 553.35

Media.

All officials and staff of the media are subject to the Visitors Rules enumerated in § 553.33 and shall comply with the Department of the Army's media policy.