NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY CRANE, Indiana (May 19, 2021) – Each Memorial Day,
Naval Support Activity Crane allows area residents to pay their respects to family members buried
at their 28 cemeteries. The installation will continue this tradition on May 31, 2021 after cancelling
last year’s memorial day visitation event due to COVID-19 restrictions. This year the event will be
held between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Memorial Day. Participants and families may arrive at the
NSA Crane Visitor’s Center, located at 103 Furlong Street Crane, IN 47522, where volunteers
from the base’s workforce will await to escort them to the appropriate cemetery.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, families looking to participate are kindly asked to RSVP
with the installation prior to arriving. Family members that are not vaccinated must continue to
wear a mask on the installation when unable to follow social distancing guidelines published by
the CDC. Those entering the base must also present a valid state driver’s license or federal
identification card, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. Base authorities also ask that
families refrain from bringing any firearms or other weapons on the installation as these are
prohibited.
The cemeteries predate the installation, which was commissioned in 1941. Most of the cemeteries
are from the pioneer-era. A few are larger cemeteries with upwards of 100 or more stones, while
some are family plots with only a few stones. Only one cemetery remains active. The U.S. Navy is
responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the cemeteries, which included a major headstone
restoration project in 2014.
Families are asked to provide the installation the number of vehicles and guests planning to attend
as well as which cemetery sites they are interested in visiting by May 27, 2021. For further
information and to RSVP, please contact public affairs at [email protected], or call
812-854-3239.