Qualla: Fort Bliss National Cemetery

Fort Bliss National Cemetery: Introduction

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Susan Barnum, CC BY-SA 4.0. Long before Fort Bliss was formally established in the 1840s, burials were being made in the West Texas desert that would become the cemetery grounds. Today Fort Bliss National Cemetery holds more than 50,000 interments, including five Medal of Honor recipients, Chinese Air Force cadets who died training in World War II, German prisoners of war, and the fort's namesake himself. This sprawling memorial landscape tells a story far more diverse than any single conflict or era, reflecting the complex history of an Army post that has served as a Confederate stronghold, cavalry training ground, and modern military installation.

Image: Susan Barnum | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Bliss National Cemetery: Burials Before the Fort

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Dunceme, CC BY-SA 4.0. The first recorded burials in what would become Fort Bliss National Cemetery date to 1833, more than a decade before the fort itself existed. When Fort Bliss was established in the 1840s, it served as a Confederate infantry post during the Civil War before becoming a cavalry trai...

Image: Dunceme | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Bliss National Cemetery: An International Resting Place

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0. Fort Bliss National Cemetery is remarkable for the international diversity of those buried within its grounds. In 1944, the Chinese government selected Fort Bliss as the final resting place for 52 Republic of China Air Force cadets who died while training at the post during World...

Image: Dicklyon | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Bliss National Cemetery: Heroes and Legends

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit PL-UFO, CC BY-SA 4.0. Five Medal of Honor recipients rest at Fort Bliss, three of whom earned their medals for actions in the Korean War. Staff Sergeant Ambrosio Guillen and Corporal Benito Martinez both died in combat in Korea in the early 1950s, while Master Sergeant Victor Hugo Espinoza survived to...

Image: PL-UFO | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Bliss National Cemetery: Desert Adaptation

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nzeemin, CC BY-SA 3.0. Maintaining a traditional green cemetery in the Chihuahuan Desert came at enormous cost. By 2002, Fort Bliss National Cemetery was consuming 90 million gallons of water annually to keep its grass alive. That year, discussions began about converting to xeriscaping, a landscaping a...

Image: Nzeemin | CC BY-SA 3.0