Florida National Cemetery — Local services in Dade City

The cemetery is absolutely beautiful! My father inlaws funeral was yesterday, full military honors! What made it awful was the staff at the Cemetery! We arrived 30 minutes before we were scheduled to arrive, yet we were told we only had 20 minutes to complete the commitment ceremony!! This amazing man fought for our country, returned from war & was treated terribly by our country & citizens for many years! He deserved more than what he got yesterday! WE deserved better! Just because you're nice, professional & smiling doesn't make rushing a family through a funeral service that we were told was 2-3pm in 20 minutes ok! Then, before we could even get his widow into the car, they were rushing his casket down the hill out from where we were just sitting! They should have at least allowed us to leave first! Our minister was given just enough time to say ONE prayer once the two military men folded the flag and presented it to his widow! Thankfully, they didn't rush the playing of Taps or the 12 gun salute!

My husband is beyond distraught! He just can't get over that woman from the Cemetery looking at the 3 of us (his mom was there too, the widow) and telling us we needed to hurry we only have 20 minutes to complete everything! Yet again, we were there 30 minutes before our scheduled time! You simply do not do that to a family who is putting a love one to rest and you most certainly do not disrespect the commitment ceremony of a veteran by demanding it be done in 20 minutes or less! Oh, she also literally stood there at the foot of our loved ones' casket just far enough back to let the officers fold the flag covering the casket! It was almost as if she was timing us as she was witnessed checking her watch multiple times! The minister obviously felt the pressure as he felt the need to state he wanted to say one thing then he would say a prayer and we'd be done as if to let her know he was trying to hurry! One prayer....there was absolutely no real funeral ceremony...it was a prayer, and off we go! The funeral home rushed us as well just so we could get to the Cemetery! One song, one prayer and off we went just so we could have OUR time at the Cemetery! It was 15 minutes max at the funeral home!

By far the two things that absolutely 100% made this the worst funeral my husband and I have ever attended in our 55 yrs of of life (aside of the national guards and the 12 gun salute!) So thats the reason for 3 stars not 5. You just don't treat people the way we were during these kinds of ceremonies!

Aside from that, which to us is HUGE! The ceremony and the rest of the staff were amazing! Men and women who served our country deserve this incredibly amazing place to Rest In Peace 🙏

Update: Just over a month after the funeral, I looked on the cemetery website just to find they had my father in laws military information wrong, not just on the site but on his headstone too! As if to add salt directly to our open wounds! How does one justify this! No apologies for being rushed through the ceremony in spite of arriving 30 min early and being rushed out after a whopping 15 minutes...which meant 15 min before our scheduled HOUR...but they also couldn't ensure that his military information was correct in a military cemetery! Big difference between Air Force and army..a Private 1st class and a Sargent E5! The information was all provided for them on THEIR forms. There simply was no excuse for the error! They've fixed it at no cost, of course. However, coupled with the rushed ceremony, the bad taste is still in our mouth 9 months later, especially now as his widow lay in hospice days from death who will be buried on top of her husband. They best not rush this ceremony because I can't say I'll remain...

We just visited the beautiful Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL and it was in excellent condition and the personnel at the center was most helpful in locating our family member there.

As we were leaving I noticed the array of our nation's services flags on display for all to see. There was one missing I believed; and I decided to inquire within the center. I was escorted to the Director's office to discuss the matter and when I mentioned that the flag of the US Merchant Marine was not displayed, I was told they do not fly that flag as it is not considered a service and therefore does not rate flying alongside our nation's military flags. I also inquired about WW II Merchant Seamen being buried there and specifically about those that sailed along our coastal waters carrying bulk war materials to the defense plants at those ports. Those vesssels traveled through the most dangerous waters in the world as the German submarines were sinking our ships faster than could be built. The VA Cemetery Director replied that those that sailed on coastwise vessels were not entitled to be buried in a National Cemetery according to current directions and offered me a copy of the directions for my review. He stated that if a coastwise merchant seamen requested to be buried there he would refuse him his rights as he considered them not eligible. The document he provided, "Interments in the Dept. of VA National Cemeteries VA-NCA-IS-1 of January 2011" clearly states those Merchant Mariners that traveled on oceangoing vessels, with a Form DD 214 from WW II, were certified to be buried in a National VA cemetery but this Director states he would refuse burial if a seaman who sailed on coastwise vessels requested burial as he did not consider that service to fall under the term Oceangoing Services. We are doing a disservice to some of the bravest sailors who ever sailed during WW II when we deny them their true rights. The wording must be a bit more clear in the instructions or the instructions made more clear to the National...

We buried my dad who served over 25 yrs. in the Army and 11 yrs. at VAMC at Lake Nona, Fla. as a prosthetics Veterans Health Administrator. Hardest part was losing my dad on our daughter and father favorite Super Bowl Sunday football games!!!! That's something we love to do, watching sports together. My dad died on 02/02/2020 on a Super Bowl Sunday. It was hard to watch football game that day, holding my dad's hands for the last time. We buried him 02/10/2020 at Fla National Cemetery. The services went fast, but I clearly knew why b/c they had other people to attend and that's understandable. Plus I know my dad didn't want a long services anyway. He was the type that wanted fast services lol but made sure he got his gun salute!!!! My dad was the kinda person who wanted things perfect and no BS type lol that's my daddy!!!! Every special moments that my mom and I go there is very peaceful and beautiful out there!!!! I love it and I don't have to worry where to bury my mom, cuz they said they can have their spouse to be buried with them there. I'm very thankful to them for that!!!! Their services and helping staff is amazing when we 1st got there omg I got the chills all over me when I saw the graves!!!! Over 7,000 is what they told me, I almost passed out!!!! That's a lot!!!! But, overall I'm happy that my dad can R.I.P with all the men and women in that grave. One thing about my dad, he love people of all race, especially when he was stationed in Korea and Japan back in the 60s and 70s. I just want to say to the Florida National Cemetery members, THANK YOU!!!! I truly can rest easy for my dad, his only daughter who went through a lot and that's why I'm carrying my dad's legacy to help the Veterans now till the day I died!!!! Thank you, daddy for your hard and caring services to our country!!!! I salute you!!!! "HOOAH!!!!" I love you, daddy!!!! You will always be my...