Texana Thursday: 4 Things You Might Not Know about Houston National Cemetery

Albert Thomas, a long-time Congressman from Houston, is buried at Houston National Cemetery (public domain photo)

If you’re driving along the North Sam Houston Tollway in Houston, it’s hard to miss the signs for Houston National Cemetery. Some things you might not know about the cemetery:

1. The cemetery was north of Houston; today it’s in north Houston.

Originally the cemetery was known as the Houston Veterans Administration Cemetery, and when it opened on December 7, 1965—the 24th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack—it was north of the city. Houston has grown to surround the area today.

As a point of reference, George Bush Intercontinental Airport opened in 1969. The airport is approximately 13 miles northeast of the cemetery.

2. The cemetery was built in true Texas style—it’s big.

The cemetery is approximately 419 acres, and was the largest cemetery of its kind when it opened. Arlington National Cemetery, at 624 acres, is larger.

The Houston cemetery was the only cemetery of its kind opened during the 1960s.

3. A Hall of Fame sportscaster is among those interred.

Gene Elston (1922-2015), who was the original radio announcer for the Houston Astros, is one of the more famous people interred at the cemetery.

Elston grew up in Iowa and called Chicago Cubs baseball games before moving to Houston. He joined the Astros, then known as the Colt .45s, for their debut season in 1962. He remained with the club through the 1986 season. He later called baseball games on CBS Radio. He received the Ford C. Frick Award, from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in 2006.

4. The graves include those of four Medal of honor recipients.

Elston, along with former Houston-area Congressman Albert Thomas (1898-1966), are perhaps the best-known personalities buried at the cemetery. To be buried in a national cemetery, one must be a member of the armed forces and have met a minimum active duty service requirement, and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Four Medal of Honor recipients are buried at Houston National Cemetery:

• First Lieutenant Raymond L. Knight, (World War II), U.S. Army Air Corps.
• Staff Sergeant Marcario Garcia, (World War II), U.S. Army.
• Captain James H. Fields, (World War II), U.S. Army.
• First Sergeant David H. McNerney, (Vietnam), U.S. Army.