New Mexico State Veterans Cemeteries and the Angel Fire Memorial

Four state veterans cemeteries, at Fort Stanton, Gallup, Angel Fire and Taos, with a fifth planned in Carlsbad, for veterans and their families, alongside the national cemeteries in Santa Fe and Fort Bayard. The Army benefits library still lists three, and the burial pre-application still offers Carlsbad and not Taos.

Also called: state veterans cemetery, Fort Stanton, Gallup, Angel Fire, Taos, Carlsbad, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, NMSA 7-2-28.1, veterans state cemetery fund, military funeral honors.

For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

New MexicoState

The Department of Veterans' Services' State Benefits Division oversees the state cemeteries and memorials (section 9-22-14), including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Angel Fire, which the Department notes Congress has recognised as a memorial of national significance. Where. The Department's cemetery page: "DVS currently operates four state veterans cemeteries: Gallup, Fort Stanton, Angel Fire, and Taos, with a fifth planned cemetery in Carlsbad", to serve veterans far from the Santa Fe and Fort Bayard national cemeteries. Gallup is at 333 National Cemetery Drive (505-905-9770), Angel Fire at 31 Onate Drive (505-225-4341) and Taos at 65 Arroyo Del Alamo Circle, Ranchos de Taos (505-470-3065). The Army benefits library, read again on October 24, 2026, still lists only the first three, and the Department's own pre-application for burial offers Fort Stanton, Gallup, Angel Fire and Carlsbad and has no box for Taos. Who. The Department's pages publish no eligibility rule of their own. The State cemeteries are built with VA grants, and 38 C.F.R. 39.10(a) requires a grant-funded State cemetery to be "operated solely for the interment of veterans, their spouses, surviving spouses, minor children, unmarried adult children who were physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support, and eligible parents of certain deceased service members", and bars anyone convicted of a federal or State capital crime or of a crime making the person a tier III sex offender with a life sentence. The Army benefits library says New Mexico applies the national cemetery tests of 38 U.S.C. 2402: a discharge other than dishonorable, death on active duty, a Guard or reserve retirement, or activation for federal service other than for training. The Department's pages do not say so themselves, and they state no residency test. Pre-apply with the Department to settle eligibility before it is needed. How it is paid for. Section 7-2-28.1 creates the veterans' state cemetery fund, and section 7-2-24 lets anyone direct part of a state income tax refund to it; section 7-1-6.18 routes the check-off to the fund after the City of Santa Fe has received $1,070,000 of it. The return has separate check-offs for the Angel Fire memorial and the veterans' enterprise fund. Honours. The Department coordinates military funeral honours with veterans' organisations at no cost to the family.

Thresholds

Thresholds for New Mexico State Veterans Cemeteries and the Angel Fire Memorial
Gate	Rule
National cemetery eligibility	38 C.F.R. 39.10 limits the VA-funded State cemeteries to veterans and their families; the library says New Mexico applies the national cemetery tests of 38 U.S.C. 2402, and the Department states no residency test.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-24.

What changed then:

Eligibility rule “National cemetery eligibility” now reads: “38 C.F.R. 39.10 limits the VA-funded State cemeteries to veterans and their families; the library says New Mexico applies the national cemetery tests of 38 U.S.C. 2402, and the Department states no residency test.”
Summary reworded.
Citation updated to “NMDVS, state veterans cemeteries (read 2026-10-24)” (was “NMDVS, state veterans cemeteries”).
And 4 more changes.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.