Missouri State Veterans Cemetery - Bloomfield

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Tucked into the southeastern bootheel of Missouri, the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield has been uniquely intertwined with a broader history of the American military’s own self-perception and image since it opened in September of 2003. The third cemetery opened under the Missouri Veterans Commission’s construction program, the site stands on Crowley’s Ridge, a geographical landmark with unique soil composition, allowing for the blooming of native plants not found anywhere else in the state. Like the other MVC cemeteries, its vast 65 acres also feature a number of modern amenities designed to serve the needs of a variety of military families who travel from across the state to have their loved ones laid to rest here, including a carillon tower in the same vein as the tower in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville to the north.

The cemetery at Bloomfield stands out primarily because of its relationship with the Stars and Stripes National Museum and Library, which is directly next door and shares an entrance with the complex. The museum preserves the history of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, founded in 1861 in Bloomfield through the midst of the Civil War. Ever since, the paper (now operated within the Department of Defense) has been dedicated to telling stories that matter to military personnel and veterans, allowing readers a more intimate glimpse into how the American military understands itself and its own actions.

The relationship between these twin sites enhances the experience of both. For visitors to the cemetery, the museum brings vibrancy and context to the stories of their family members and those memorialized within the gentle hills of Crowley’s Ridge. For visitors to the museum, the cemetery takes the information conveyed by the exhibits and library and brings it into stark reality. America’s conceptualization of its military is something that must be properly tempered by the understanding of the cost of conflict, and by placing these two sites next to each other, the Missouri Veterans Commission has created a truly special experience that is difficult to find anywhere else.