Great Lakes National Cemetery

Great Lakes National Cemetery Honoring Veterans and their eligible family members with final resting places in National Shrines. Mr.

Great Lakes National Cemetery is the second national cemetery built in Michigan and the 122nd in the national cemetery system. Great Lakes National Cemetery is located approximately 50 miles northwest of downtown Detroit, in Holly Township, Oakland County. The cemetery borders Fagan Lake, and is located on a portion of a land grant from the Federal Government to Terrance Fagan in 1836. Historicall

y, the property served as farmland until it was acquired by the National Cemetery Administration in 2002. In the 20th century, the property was purchased by Bryson Dexter Horton, a Spanish-American War veteran-turned-industrialist who invented the "Square D" switch. Horton's invention dramatically improved electrical safety, by encasing the switch in steel and protecting users from the live electrical current. Horton constructed a small house on the property in 1927, and reportedly entertained such preeminent locals as Henry and Edsel Ford, who both hunted and fished there. Great Lakes National Cemetery was established in 2005, and the first burial took place on October 17 of that year.

On this past Monday, the Great Lakes National Cemetery had a very special visitor... The national hockey league's Stanle...
08/26/2026

On this past Monday, the Great Lakes National Cemetery had a very special visitor... The national hockey league's Stanley Cup. Mark Craig who is a member of the Carolina Hurricane's scout team brought the cup to GLNC to share with his father who is buried here.
Beginning in 1995, each member of the championship team gets to spend 24 hours with the cup. There is always a "handler" with the cup to make sure that nothing untoward happens but for the most part, how the team member spends their day is up to them.
The Stanley Cup trophy was first commissioned in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston who was the Governor of Canada and is now the oldest trophy awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America.
The last time the Stanley Cup was won by the Detroit Red Wings was back in 2008, so it was quite the honor having it visit us. A huge thank you to Mark for allowing us to share in your experience.

-photos by Kevin Craig

It was a beautiful afternoon today (maybe just a smidge warm, but not too bad) here at the Great Lakes National Cemetery...
08/19/2026

It was a beautiful afternoon today (maybe just a smidge warm, but not too bad) here at the Great Lakes National Cemetery.
This week marks the opening and the first services held in our new committal shelter #4. Over the next few weeks we'll be closing shelter 2, and then shelter 1 to complete some much needed maintenance so please don't be surprised if you are attending a service out here and the cortege takes a right turn heading back into the wooded area rather than down by the lake. As the pictures show, the area turned out beautifully. Please enjoy the rest of your day as we keep moving towards the weekend.

The question has always been "Who jumps out of a perfectly good airplane?" Well, today is National Airborne Day and we'...
08/16/2026

The question has always been "Who jumps out of a perfectly good airplane?" Well, today is National Airborne Day and we're going to delve a bit into the history of the US airborne forces.

The first true airborne troops were conceived during World War I but were never utilized due to the end of the conflict. Early ideas for their use entailed placing the troops on the wings of the aircraft and having them be pulled off when they deployed their parachutes. Thankfully, this idea didn't really take off (sorry for all the bad puns).

During World War II, both the Allies and Axis military used airborne units in large degrees during invasions in order to rapidly insert troops and resupply behind enemy lines. In Saint-Mere-Eglise France, to this day, there is a manikin of airborne soldier Pvt. John Steele which hangs on the church tower he was snagged on during a jump in the early hours of D-Day.

The US military has conducted roughly 18 major combat jumps since the inception of the airborne units with the last major combat jump in 2003 as part of Operation Northern Delay in Iraq.

One small bit of trivia, if someone is airborne qualified and performs a combat jump, a small star/s are added to their jump wings inside the badge itself. A star or a star with a laurel wreath ABOVE the badge indicates either a senior or master parachutist badge.

Today is Navajo Code Talkers Day which was established on this date in 1982. The code talkers were a specialized unit o...
08/14/2026

Today is Navajo Code Talkers Day which was established on this date in 1982. The code talkers were a specialized unit of the US Marines established and utilized during World War II starting in 1942.
The code talkers were all indigenous peoples made up first from the Navajo tribe, but then later also from the Cherokee, and Comanche tribes. The actual code was never written down until long after the war ended, and the program finally declassified in 1968. These code talkers were assigned in pairs (one to operate the radio, and the other to receive and translate the messages) and were involved in many major battles including D-Day, and Iwo Jima.
These Marines had to memorize up to 411 Native language words and the coded English translations. The true irony of the program was that many of these volunteers had either themselves, or their families been forced into the "Indian assimilation, government boarding schools" where they were punished for speaking their own languages.
Even though the code talker program was declassified in 1968, it wasn't until 2001 that Congressional Gold Medals were given to the code talkers.
The Code talkers during World War II were considered one of the highest ranked targets of the enemy.
There were 200-420 code talkers who served, and only 13 were killed in action.
Today, there are only two of the original code talkers still alive.

Our nation's Veterans and their families are the reason that the Great Lakes National Cemetery exists and our directors ...
08/13/2026

Our nation's Veterans and their families are the reason that the Great Lakes National Cemetery exists and our directors and staff take their commitments to honoring them to heart.

The staff and directors here at the Great Lakes National Cemetery are proud to announce the promotion of one of our own....
08/12/2026

The staff and directors here at the Great Lakes National Cemetery are proud to announce the promotion of one of our own. Danielle Lidstrand will step into her new position as the Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist at GLNC. We are looking forward to her leadership and guidance continuing to improve the work of our cemetery administration specialists. Congratulations Danielle!!!!

A good morning to all the friends and family of the Great Lakes National Cemetery. It was a misty start to the day here...
08/12/2026

A good morning to all the friends and family of the Great Lakes National Cemetery. It was a misty start to the day here as our staff prepares for the days services. I've attached a few pictures we were able to capture before the mist burns off.
One thing that we hear often from our visitors is that it really doesn't matter what time of the year they come out. Our cemetery always feels peaceful. We are open for visitation every day of the year (even holidays) for visitation.
If you need assistance finding a gravesite for a loved one, and our office is closed, we have a grave locator kiosk mounted on the wall in our public information center, or you can look up their location online at https://www.cem.va.gov/nationwide-gravesite-locator/
The directors and staff of the GLNC hope you all have a good day!

Today the Great Lakes National Cemetery, along with 15 other national cemeteries honored the men and women who fought du...
08/02/2026

Today the Great Lakes National Cemetery, along with 15 other national cemeteries honored the men and women who fought during the Revolutionary War, and are interred in a national cemetery. Here at GLNC, Pvt. Joseph Van Etten is memorialized in section MS2, site 109. There small ceremony was attended by members of the Sons of the American Revolution who provided an honor guard. Pvt Van Etten served with the 1st NY Regiment and the location of his physical remains are unknown.

A wreath was placed in his honor on his site by our cemetery's assistant director, Russell Sayles who also gave a short speech, and program analyst Eric Crawford. A second wreath in honor of America's 250th Birthday and all those who answered the call to duty following the signing of the Declaration of Independence was placed at our cemetery's main flag pole.

Please visit his memorial page on the the Veterans Legacy Memorial page is located at: https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/JOSEPHVANETTEN/9f7092

Please remember to thank a Veteran for the freedoms we celebrate. The Great Lakes National Cemetery exists as a reminde...
08/02/2026

Please remember to thank a Veteran for the freedoms we celebrate. The Great Lakes National Cemetery exists as a reminder to the living of the sacrifices made by our Veterans.
Our cemetery is open for visitation 365 days each year, from sunrise til sunset, and if you need help finding a particular gravesite, there is an information kiosk located on the wall in our visitor information center.

A reminder to join the National Day of Service on Saturday, Sept. 12 beginning at 10 AM to commemorate the 25th annivers...
07/31/2026

A reminder to join the National Day of Service on Saturday, Sept. 12 beginning at 10 AM to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Volunteers will help with headstone cleaning and beautification after a brief ceremony.
You can participate at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan

Register Link: https://carrytheload.org/patriot-day/

Address

4200 Belford Rd
Holly, MI
48442

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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