The

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

(VA) maintains many cemeteries specifically devoted to veterans. Most have various rules regarding what must take place in order to be interred there.

Procedure

The VA only permits graphics on government-furnished headstones or markers that are approved emblems of belief, the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Union Shield (including those who served in the U.S. military through the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

), the Civil War Confederate Southern Cross of Honor, and the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

insignia.

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

has similar restrictions on headstones, though it is maintained by US Department of the Army. The

religious symbol A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, or a specific concept within a given religion. Religious symbols have been used in the military in many countries, such as the United States military chap ...

s are rendered as simple inscriptions without sculptural

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

or coloring other than

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

. The emblem of belief is an optional feature. Generally the VA adds a new symbol a few months after receiving a petition from a faith group. However, the

Wicca Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...

n symbol was only added in 2007 to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of several families by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State in November 2006. The VA added emblem of belief #37 – "WICCA (Pentacle)". A separate parallel lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Wiccan churches and three families by the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

in September 2006, which was resolved by the same settlement. The first interfaith headstone, which includes a Wiccan

pentacle A pentacle (also spelled and pronounced as ''pantacle'' in Thelema, following Aleister Crowley, though that spelling ultimately derived from Éliphas Lévi) "The Pantacle of Frater V. I. O." is a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and ...

for Jan Deanna O'Rourke and a Presbyterian Cross for her husband, was installed at Arlington National Cemetery on May 1, 2007, and dedicated on July 4, 2007. File:Cypress hills 22.jpg,

veteran, Cypress Hills National Cemetery File:Beech-Grove-Confederate-Cemetery-grave-tn1.jpg, Unknown veteran of the Confederate States of America, Beechgrove, Tennessee File:Grave of Anton Olsen Cypress Hills.jpg, Medal of Honor recipient Anton Olsen, Cypress Hills National Cemetery File:fort logan national cemetery 4.jpg, Gravesites at

Fort Logan National Cemetery Fort Logan National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, United States National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. Fort Logan, a former U.S. Army installation, was named after Union General John A. Logan, commander of US Volunteer forces dur ...

, Memorial Day 2006

Headstone and marker symbols

The following emblems and emblem numbers are publicized as available for government headstones and markers as of May 2025. A process is in place to consider approving additional religious or belief system emblems requested by the families of individuals eligible for these headstones and markers. Each emblem is given its official USVA name and designation, with added additional links for related symbolism (*) and for related movements (†). Explanatory footnotes are provided where symbols' meanings are not immediately apparent. File:USVA headstone emb-01.svg, Latin (Christian) Cross

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species or languages). It is one of the mo ...

USVA emblem 01 File:USVA headstone emb-02.svg,

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

*
USVA emblem 02 File:USVA headstone emb-03.svg,

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

(

Star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

)
USVA emblem 03 File:USVA headstone emb-04.svg, Presbyterian Cross *
USVA emblem 04 File:USVA headstone emb-05.svg, Russian Orthodox Cross *

USVA emblem 05 File:USVA headstone emb-06.svg, Lutheran Cross
USVA emblem 06 File:USVA headstone emb-07.svg, Episcopal Cross
USVA emblem 07 File:USVA headstone emb-08 (Unitarian-Universalist).svg, Unitarian (

Flaming Chalice A flaming chalice is the most widely used symbol of Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism (UUism) and the official logo of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and other Unitarian and UU churches and societies. Origins The symbol had it ...

)
USVA emblem 08 File:USVA headstone emb-09.svg,

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

*
USVA emblem 09 File:USVA headstone emb-10.svg, Aaronic Order Church
USVA emblem 10 File:USVA headstone emb-11.svg,

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

(

Angel Moroni The angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel Moroni was the guardian of the gold ...

)
USVA emblem 11 File:USVA headstone emb-12.svg, Native American Church of North America *
USVA emblem 12 File:USVA headstone emb-13.svg,

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

USVA emblem 13 File:USVA headstone emb-14.svg,

Greek Cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

USVA emblem 14 File:Bahai star.svg, Baháʼí ( 9 Pointed Star)
USVA emblem 15 File:USVA headstone emb-16.svg,

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

* **
USVA emblem 16 File:USVA headstone emb-17.svg,

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

(

Crescent and Star The conjoined representation of a Star (heraldry), star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some ...

)
USVA emblem 17 File:DevanagariAum.svg,

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

*
USVA emblem 18 File:USVA headstone emb-19.svg, Konko-Kyo Faith
USVA emblem 19 File:USVA headstone emb-20.svg,

Community of Christ Community of Christ, known legally and from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement ...

USVA emblem 20 File:USVA headstone emb-21.svg, Sufism Reoriented
USVA emblem 21 File:USVA headstone emb-22.svg, Tenrikyo Church
USVA emblem 22 File:USVA headstone emb-23.svg,

Seicho-no-Ie is a syncretic, monotheistic, New Thought Japanese new religion that has spread since the end of World War II in Asia. It emphasizes gratitude for nature, the family, ancestors and, above all, religious faith in one universal God. Seichō ...

USVA emblem 23 File:USVA headstone emb-24.svg,

Church of World Messianity The Church of World Messianity (), abbreviated COWM, is a Japanese new religion founded in 1935 by Mokichi Okada. Its headquarters in Atami, Shizuoka is called the (). History In 1926, Okada claimed to have received a divine revelation tha ...

USVA emblem 24 File:USVA headstone emb-25.svg, United Church of Religious Science
USVA emblem 25 File:USVA headstone emb-26.svg, Christian Reformed Church
USVA emblem 26 File:USVAMoravianChurch.svg, United Moravian Church
USVA emblem 27 File:USVA headstone emb-28.svg,

Eckankar Eckankar ( ) is an American new religious movement founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965. The group’s spiritual home is the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Eckankar is not affiliated with any other religious group. The movement teache ...

USVA emblem 28 File:USVA headstone emb-29.svg,

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus Christ. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a syn ...

USVA emblem 29 File:USVA headstone emb-30.svg, Christian & Missionary Alliance
USVA emblem 30 File:USVA headstone emb-31.svg,

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

USVA emblem 31 File:Happyman.svg, Humanist Emblem of Spirit *
USVA emblem 32 File:USVA headstone emb-33.svg,

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

USVA emblem 33 File:USVA headstone emb-34.svg,

Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii The Izumo Taishakyo Mission is a Shinto shrine located in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. It is one of the few active Shinto shrines in the United States. The wooden A-frame structure was inspired by Shimane Prefecture's classical Japanese shrine Izum ...

USVA emblem 34 File:Hachiyourenge.svg, Soka Gakkai International (USA)
USVA emblem 35 File:Khanda.svg,

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

(

Khanda Khanda may refer to: Places * Khanda, Sonipat, a large historical village in Sonipat district of Haryana, India * Khanda, Jind, a village in Jind district of Haryana, India * Khanda Kheri, a village in Hansi Tehsil of Hisar district of Haryana, ...

)
USVA emblem 36 File:Emb-37.svg,

(

Pentacle A pentacle (also spelled and pronounced as ''pantacle'' in Thelema, following Aleister Crowley, though that spelling ultimately derived from Éliphas Lévi) "The Pantacle of Frater V. I. O." is a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and ...

)
USVA emblem 37 File:USVA headstone emb-38.svg,

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, sa ...

USVA emblem 38 File:USVA headstone emb-39.svg, New Apostolic
USVA emblem 39 File:USVA headstone emb-40.svg, Seventh Day Adventist Church
USVA emblem 40 File:USVA headstone emb-41.svg,

Celtic Cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

USVA emblem 41 File:USVA headstone emblem Armenian Cross.svg, Armenian Cross

USVA emblem 42 File:USVA headstone emb-43.svg, Farohar

USVA emblem 43 File:USVA headstone emb-44.svg, Messianic Jewish
USVA emblem 44 File:USVA headstone emb-45.svg, Kohen Hands

USVA emblem 45 File:USVA headstone emb-46.svg, Catholic Celtic Cross

USVA emblem 46 File:USVA headstone emb-47.svg, The First Church of Christ, Scientist ( Cross and Crown)
USVA emblem 47 File:USVAMedicineWheel.svg,

Medicine Wheel Medicine wheels are petroforms or circular formations of rocks on the land. Historically, most medicine wheels followed a similar pattern of a central circle or cluster of stones, surrounded by an outer ring of stones, along with spokes radiatin ...

USVA emblem 48 File:USVAInfinity.svg,

Infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...

*
USVA emblem 49 File:USVALutherRose.svg, Luther Rose

USVA emblem 51 File:USVALandingEagle.svg, Landing Eagle
USVA emblem 52 File:USVAFourDirections.svg, Four Directions
USVA emblem 53 File:USVAChurchofNazarene.svg, Church of Nazarene
USVA emblem 54 File:The Hammer of Thor.svg, Hammer of Thor *
USVA emblem 55
File:USVAUnificationChurch.svg,

Unification Church The Unification Church () is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists or sometimes informally Moonies. It was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Seoul, South Korea, as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unificatio ...

USVA emblem 56 File:USVASandhillCrane.svg,

Sandhill Crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), cranes of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to its habitat, such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's S ...

USVA emblem 57
File:Church of God Emblem.svg, Church of God
USVA emblem 58 File:USVAPomegranate.svg,

Pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

USVA emblem 59 File:USVAMessianic.svg,

Messianic In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach' ...

*
USVA emblem 60 File:USVA emblem 61.svg,

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

*
USVA emblem 61 File:USVA headstone emb-62 (Sacred Heart).svg,

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

USVA emblem 62 File:USVA headstone emb-63 (African Ancestral Traditionalist).svg, African Ancestral Traditionalist ( Nyame Ye Ohene)
USVA emblem 63 File:USVA headstone emb-64 (Maltese Cross).svg,

Maltese Cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

USVA emblem 64 File:USVA headstone emb-65 (Druid - Awen).svg,

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

(

Awen ''Awen'' is a Welsh language, Welsh, Cornish language, Cornish and Breton language, Breton word for "Artistic inspiration, inspiration" (and typically poetic inspiration). In Welsh mythology, is the inspiration of the poets, or bards; its pers ...

)
USVA emblem 65 File:USVA headstone emb-66 (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod).svg,

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

USVA emblem 66 File:USVA headstone emb-67 (Polish National Catholic Church).svg,

Polish National Catholic Church The Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC; , PNKK) is an independent Old Catholic church based in the United States and founded by Polish Americans that is part of the Union of Scranton. The PNCC is not in communion the Roman Catholic Church. S ...

USVA emblem 67 File:USVAGuardianAngel.jpg,

Guardian Angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...

USVA emblem 68 File:USVA headstone emb-69 (Heart).svg,

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

USVA emblem 69 File:USVAShepherd&Flag.jpg, Shepherd and Flag
USVA emblem 70 File:USVAAfricanMethodistEpiscopal.jpg, African Methodist Episcopal (AME)
USVA emblem 71 File:USVA headstone emb-72 (Evangelical Lutheran Church).svg, Evangelical Lutheran Church
USVA emblem 72 File:Christian Universalist symbol.svg, Universalist Cross
USVA emblem 73 File:USVAFaith&Prayer.jpg, Faith and Prayer
USVA emblem 74 File:USVA headstone emb-75 (Ichthys).svg,

Ichthys The ichthys or ichthus (), from the Greek (, 1st cent. AD Koinē Greek pronunciation: , "fish") is, in its modern rendition, a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to ...

USVA emblem 75 File:USVA headstone emb-76.svg, Nichiren Shoshu Temple
USVA emblem 76 File:DoveofPeace.jpg,

Dove of Peace Doves, typically Domestic pigeon, domestic pigeons white in plumage, are used in many settings as symbols of peace, freedom, or love. Doves appear in the symbolism of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and paganism, and pacifist groups. Ancient relig ...

USVA emblem 77 File:USVAKingianFaith.jpg, Kingian Faith
USVA emblem 78 File:USVA headstone emb-98 (Druze).svg,

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

(Druzism

Five-pointed star A five-pointed star (☆), geometrically an equilateral concave decagon, is a common ideogram in modern culture. Comparatively rare in classical heraldry, it was notably introduced for the flag of the United States in the Flag Act of 1777 and si ...

)
USVA emblem 98

Notes

References

External links

* {{commonscatinline
USVA National Cemetery Administration: Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers

USVA Form 40-1330: Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker

Arlington National Cemetery – Emblems
Emblems for headstones and markers Religious symbols Military symbols Religion and society in the United States Burial monuments and structures in the United States * Lists of symbols

Procedure

Headstone and marker symbols

Notes

See also

References

External links