Calverton National Cemetery, National cemetery in Riverhead, United States

Calverton National Cemetery is a military burial ground in eastern Long Island, stretching across about 1,045 acres and recognized as the largest national cemetery of its kind in the country. The site consists of wide grass fields dotted with uniform white headstones arranged in straight rows, surrounded by maintained trees and low pathways.

In 1974 Long Island National Cemetery was the only national cemetery on Long Island with burial space left, and its capacity was near exhaustion. Plans were made for a new regional cemetery serving a New York area then home to nearly three million veterans and dependents. On December 7, 1977, a 902-acre tract was transferred from the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at Calverton to the Veterans Administration, and the cemetery opened in 1978 as Long Island's third national cemetery.

A memorial pathway lined with monuments honors America's veterans; as of 2003 there were 18 memorials, most commemorating soldiers of 20th-century wars. The cemetery holds Medal of Honor recipients Michael P. Murphy and Garfield M. Langhorn, and Francis S. Gabreski, the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II. Isaac Woodard Jr., whose 1946 beating sparked national outrage, is also buried here.

The grounds are open daily and can be accessed by car, with paved roads leading to different sections of the site. Visitors should note that some areas may be temporarily closed during holidays or ongoing military ceremonies.

The committal "wheel" at Veteran's Circle, left of the main entrance, lets several funeral services run at once: after each service the casket is moved into the hub and then taken to its gravesite. In 1983 the shelter walls were rebuilt as columbaria for cremated remains.