Bakersfield National Cemetery Support Committee

We are dedicated to enhancing the esthetics and promoting the final resting place for our nation's heroes at Bakersfield National Cemetery, which has been designated as a National Shrine by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Through the National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003, Congress authorized the addition of a National Cemetery in the Bakersfield area. The Tejon Ranch Company, which owns the largest contiguous piece of private in California, quickly offered to donate land for use as a cemetery. The National Cemetery Administration chose the current 500-acre site in Arvin, CA and the final transfer of land took place in 2008. The first interment of cremated remains occurred on July 1, 2009, and the first casketed interment the following day.

Today there are more than 7,700 U.S. military veterans and eligible dependents buried at the Bakersfield National Cemetery.

The Saturday before Memorial Day we put on an program with speakers and music to honor our veterans buried at Bakersfield National Cemetery. We welcome hundreds of volunteers from the community to join us for placing flags at each gravesite on the grounds. It's a unique opportunity to display and to teach reverence for our fallen veterans. Please join us on Saturday, May 23, 2026 for this event.

In August we put on our one fundraiser dinner to support the projects at the Bakersfield National Cemetery. See our website for Night at the Ranch event information.

All funds raised are used to purchase items not covered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and for the maintenance of the beauty at the Bakersfield National Cemetery and in support of the workers at the cemetery, such as...

Once a year, we provide an appreciation lunch for all of the employees of Bakersfield National Cemetery and their contractors.

We provide 44 replacement flags once per year for the Avenue of Flags. Donations will be a huge help toward new beautiful American flags for the public to enjoy. The public continues to comment how much they love to see the flags up when they visit the grounds, but the wear and tear from the winds and weather there are very hard on the flags. Needless to say, Bakersfield is one of the only National Cemeteries we are aware of that keeps flags up year round, because of the prohibitive replacement cost.