CRANE, Indiana – Each Memorial Day, Naval Support Activity Crane allows area residents to pay their respects to family members buried at their 28 cemeteries. The installation continues this tradition May 30.

The event was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families looking to participate need only drive up to the Crane Gate, just beyond Crane, Indiana, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on May 30, where volunteers from the base’s workforce await to escort them to the appropriate cemetery. Those entering the base must have a valid state or federal identification card, current registration, and proof of insurance. Base authorities also ask that families refrain from bringing any firearms, other weapons, or illicit drugs or materials.

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.

For more information, please contact the installation public affairs office at 812-854-3524.