WASHINGTON — To mark Memorial Day, the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded an online directory honoring military veterans, adding profiles for those interred at Arlington National Cemetery and 26 other cemeteries managed by the Defense Department.
The National Cemetery Administration, part of the VA, launched the Veterans Legacy Memorial website in 2019. With the addition of some 300,000 profiles announced Wednesday, the searchable database now includes memorial pages for more than 5 million veterans where loved ones can post remembrances, photos and other biographical information.
In a news conference at VA headquarters on Wednesday, James LaPaglia, the NCA’s digital services officer, said the agency added those interactive features to the website in 2020, largely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down in-person gatherings for Memorial Day.
Users can search for a veteran’s memorial page by name, service branch, year of death and resting place. They can then post messages, photos, historical documents and more. LaPaglia said users have made nearly 60,000 posts, which his office reviews to make sure they are appropriate, and that 98 percent of posts are approved.