History: NCA History Blog - National Cemetery Administration

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Read our latest blog posts or view the list below.</p> <div style="border: 1px solid #003f72; border-radius: 4px;" class="well well-sm"> <p style="font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 0px 0px; text-align: center;">Featured Blog Post</p> <hr style="border: 1px solid; margin: 10px 0px;"><br> <div style="border-color: #003f72;" class="panel"> <div class="panel-body"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-8"> <p style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"><strong><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/084-gettysburg-tablet/" target="_blank">Gettysburg Address Tablet</a></strong></p> <p style="font-size: 98%;"><strong>Les' Melnyk<br>Senior Historian, National Cemetery Administration<br>Published: November 19, 2024</strong></p> <p>President Abraham Lincoln is one of the most revered figures in American history. Rankings of U.S. presidents routinely place him at or near the top of the list.</p> <p>Lincoln is also held in high esteem at VA. His stirring call during his second inaugural address in 1865 to "care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan" embodies the nation's promise to all who wear the uniform, a promise VA and its predecessor administrations have kept ever since the Civil War.</p> <p>Lincoln's second inaugural address is inscribed on the north interior wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Directly across from it, engraved on the south interior wall, is another speech by Lincoln which is even more famous. It is arguably the greatest piece of oratory in the nation's history. The speech, of course, is the Gettysburg Address.</p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/084-gettysburg-tablet/" target="_blank" class="btn btn-lg btn-nca-navy"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Read more »</span></a><br><br></div> </div> <div class="col-sm-4"> <div class="panel panel-info"> <div style="background-color: #f5f5f5; border-radius: 3px;" class="panel-body"> <div style="font-size: 99%;"><img alt="Tablet of address by President Lincoln at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery." class="img-responsive center-block img-thumbnail" src="/CEM/images/GAtablet.jpg">Tablet of address by President Lincoln at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery on November 19, 1863.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <hr> <div style="border: 1px solid #003f72; border-radius: 4px;" class="well well-sm"> <p style="font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 0px 0px; text-align: center;">Latest Blog Posts</p> <hr style="border: 1px solid; margin: 10px 0px;"><br> <div class="flex-row"> <div style="padding-bottom: 16px;" class="col-sm-4"> <div style="height: 100%; background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #003f72; border-radius: 4px;" class="well well-sm"> <div><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/082-lgbtq-monument/" target="_blank"><img alt="Memorial to LGBTQ+ Veterans dedicated in 2015 at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Ellwood, Illinois. The inverted pink triangle symbolizes remembrance, pride, and acceptance. The triangle is flanked by the seals of the five military branches and the U.S. Merchant Marine. (VA)" class="img-responsive center-block" src="/CEM/images/history/Blog-082-LGBTQ-Monument-Abraham-Lincoln.jpg" style="border: #337ab7 3px solid; border-radius: 3px;"></a></div> <br> <p style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"><strong><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/082-lgbtq-monument/" target="_blank">LGBTQ+ Monument in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery</a></strong></p> <p style="font-size: 96%;"><strong>Matthew Harris<br>Intern, NCA</strong></p> <p style="font-size: 99%;">Two LGBTQ+ monuments adorn national cemeteries maintained by VA: Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Ellwood, IL and the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.</p> <p>VA encourages Veterans who were issued an administrative discharge for their sexuality to apply for an upgrade to the discharge and request the VA benefits they have earned through their service.</p> <p style="font-size: 99%;"><strong><a href="https://www.va.gov/resources/request-a-discharge-upgrade-or-correction/" target="_blank">Apply for a discharge upgrade »</a></strong></p> <p style="font-size: 99%;"><strong><a href="https://www.va.gov/burials-and-memorials/pre-need/form-10007-apply-for-eligibility/introduction" target="_blank">Apply for Pre-Need Eligibility »</a></strong></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/082-lgbtq-monument/" target="_blank" class="btn btn-lg btn-nca-navy"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Read more »</span></a><br><br></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding-bottom: 16px;" class="col-sm-4"> <div style="height: 100%; background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #003f72; border-radius: 4px;" class="well well-sm"> <div><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/078-french-cross/" target="_blank"><img alt="French Cross at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. The granite monument was installed at the burial site of the 25 French sailors who died from influenza during a port call at the end of World War I. (National Cemetery Administration)" class="img-responsive center-block" src="/CEM/images/history/Blog-078-French-Cross-Cypress-Hills.jpg" style="border: #337ab7 3px solid; border-radius: 3px;"></a></div> <br> <p style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"><strong><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/078-french-cross/" target="_blank">French Cross at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn</a></strong></p> <p style="font-size: 96%;"><strong>NCA History Program</strong></p> <p style="font-size: 99%;">The 25 French sailors buried here are one of earlier instances of allied forces being buried in a national cemetery. It is also remarkable in that all of the sailors died from the same cause — they fell victim to the Spanish Flu which was sweeping the nation, and the world, in 1918–1919.</p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/078-french-cross/" target="_blank" class="btn btn-lg btn-nca-navy"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Read more »</span></a><br><br></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding-bottom: 16px;" class="col-sm-4"> <div style="height: 100%; background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #003f72; border-radius: 4px;" class="well well-sm"> <div><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/075-bivouac-of-the-dead/" target="_blank"><img alt="Tablet at Mobile National Cemetery inscribed with the opening stanza of the 1850 poem 'Bivouac of the Dead' by Theodore O'Hara. The plaque bearing O'Hara's timeless lament to soldiers lost in battle has been installed at national cemeteries throughout the VA system. (Library of Congress)" class="img-responsive center-block" src="/CEM/images/history/Blog-075-Bivouac-of-the-Dead-Tablet.jpg" style="border: #337ab7 3px solid; border-radius: 3px;"></a></div> <br> <p style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"><strong><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/075-bivouac-of-the-dead/" target="_blank">"Bivouac of the Dead" Tablet</a></strong></p> <p style="font-size: 96%;"><strong>Emme Richards<br>Virtual Student Federal Service<br>Intern, VA History Office</strong></p> <p style="font-size: 99%;">Originally written to honor the Kentucky volunteers who died in the Mexican War (1846–1848), Theodore O'Hara's elegiac poem, "Bivouac of the Dead," now serves as a literary memorial to all lives lost in service to the nation.</p> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/075-bivouac-of-the-dead/" target="_blank" class="btn btn-lg btn-nca-navy"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">Read more »</span></a><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <hr> <div style="background-color: #ffffff; border: 1px solid #003f72; border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px 0px 0px;" class="well well-sm"> <p style="font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 0px 0px; text-align: center;">List of NCA History Blog Posts</p> <hr style="border: 1px solid; margin: 10px 0px;"> <table border="1" class="table table-condensed table-bordered table-striped"><caption class="table-caption"><span style="color: #000000; font-weight: bold; font-size: 115%;">2023: NCA History Blog posts</span></caption> <thead> <tr class="info"> <th scope="col">Blog Post</th> <th scope="col">Date</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/67-uss-bennington/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: USS <em>Bennington</em> Monument and Grave Plot</a></td> <td>September 21, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/65-6x6-unknown-grave-markers/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Civil War 6×6 Unknown Grave Markers</a></td> <td>August 31, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-61-edmund-whitman-report/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Edmund Whitman's 1869 Report on Reburying Union Dead in National Cemeteries</a></td> <td>June 15, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-59-veterans-legacy-memorial/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: 鈥婽he Veterans Legacy Memorial</a></td> <td>May 23, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-58-cenotaphs/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: 鈥婥ongressional Cemetery Cenotaphs</a></td> <td>May 11, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/040-george-ford/" target="_blank">George Ford – Veteran and National Cemetery Superintendent</a></td> <td>April 25, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-55-dorothea-dixs-monument/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Dorothea Dix's Monument to Union Soldiers</a></td> <td>March 7, 2023</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-53-vietnam-unknown-ceremony/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: 鈥婩uneral Ceremony for Vietnam Unknown</a></td> <td>February 3, 2023</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="1" class="table table-condensed table-bordered table-striped"><caption class="table-caption"><span style="color: #000000; font-weight: bold; font-size: 115%;">2022: NCA History Blog posts</span></caption> <thead> <tr class="info"> <th scope="col">Blog Post</th> <th scope="col">Date</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-48-floor-plan-columbarium/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Floor Plan of VA's Historic Indoor Columbarium</a></td> <td>December 15, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-45-disability-certificate/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: National Cemetery Superintendent's Disability Certificate</a></td> <td>December 2, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-40-daytons-tunnel/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Dayton's "Underground Path of Death"</a></td> <td>September 15, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-38-national-pow-mia-memorial/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: National POW/MIA Memorial</a></td> <td>September 8, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-36-president-clintons-v-j-day-speech/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: President Clinton's Fiftieth Anniversary of V-J Day Speech at the NMCP</a></td> <td>September 1, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-34-president-zachary-taylors-well-traveled-remains/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: President Zachary Taylor's Well-Traveled Remains</a></td> <td>July 7, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-32-u-s-colored-troops-burial-petition/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: U.S. Colored Troops Burial Petition</a></td> <td>June 23, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-29-national-cemetery-general-headstone/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: National Cemetery "General" Headstone</a></td> <td>May 26, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-27-national-cemetery-gateway-arch/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: National Cemetery Gateway Arch</a></td> <td>May 11, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-20-the-washington-arsenal-monument/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: The Washington Arsenal Monument</a></td> <td>March 30, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-17-the-meigs-plan/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: The "Meigs Plan"</a></td> <td>March 23, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/3-24th-cemetery/" target="_blank">Wayside of Black Houston mutineers legacy unveiled at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery</a></td> <td>February 24, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-30-lincolns-second-inaugural-address/" target="_blank">Happy Birthday President Lincoln! And why this put the Gettysburg Address in national cemeteries</a></td> <td>February 11, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-10-togus-time-capsule/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Togus Time Capsule</a></td> <td>February 2, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-6-repatriation-album/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: 1948 Repatriation Album of Alaska World War II Dead</a></td> <td>January 20, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/object-3-bronze-shield-plaque/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Civil War National Cemetery Bronze Shield Plaque</a></td> <td>January 13, 2022</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/100-objects/register-susan-b-anthony-signature/" target="_blank">NCA Historic Objects: Ft. Scott National Cemetery visitors register with Susan B. Anthony signature, 1895</a></td> <td>January 7, 2022</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="1" class="table table-condensed table-bordered table-striped"><caption class="table-caption"><span style="color: #000000; font-weight: bold; font-size: 115%;">2021: NCA History Blog posts</span></caption> <thead> <tr class="info"> <th scope="col">Blog Post</th> <th scope="col">Date</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/wwi-pows/" target="_blank">Halyburton and Grimsley – Story of U.S.'s first POW in WWI</a></td> <td>November 23, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/uss-indianapolis/" target="_blank">Remembering the USS Indianapolis</a></td> <td>November 15, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/national-cemetery-system-1973/" target="_blank">1973 – When VA took over the National Cemetery System</a></td> <td>November 12, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/exhibits/substitution-civil-war/" target="_blank">Exhibit – USCT Substitutes in the Border States, Buried in National Cemeteries</a></td> <td>November 12, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/loutre-island/" target="_blank">John Pitzer and the journey to Loutre Island</a></td> <td>November 12, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/lincoln-grant-stain-glass/" target="_blank">Lincoln and Grant in Lights: The Grand Army of the Republic's 1887 memorial stained-glass windows</a></td> <td>November 1, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/cemetery-monuments/" target="_blank">NCA Monuments Dedicated on Memorial Day</a></td> <td>May 1, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://department.va.gov/history/featured-stories/katherine-stinson/" target="_blank">The World's Most Intrepid Airman is a Woman: Remembering Katherine Stinson Otero</a></td> <td>March 25, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/85105/contrasting-lives-wwi-black-veterans-everett-johnson-robert-chase/" target="_blank">Contrasting Lives: WWI Black Veterans Everett Johnson and Robert Chase</a></td> <td>February 27, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/85087/creating-formidable-force-colonel-dan-t-moore/" target="_blank">Creating a Formidable Force: Colonel Dan T. Moore</a></td> <td>February 26, 2021</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/85065/trailblazers-advocates-anguished-veteran-profiles-349th-field-artillery/" target="_blank">Trailblazers, Advocates, and the Anguished: Veteran Profiles of the 349th Field Artillery</a></td> <td>February 25, 2021</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="1" class="table table-condensed table-bordered table-striped"><caption class="table-caption"><span style="color: #000000; font-weight: bold; font-size: 115%;">2020 and earlier: NCA History Blog posts</span></caption> <thead> <tr class="info"> <th scope="col">Blog Post</th> <th scope="col">Date</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/77862/friendship-death-nimitz-plot-golden-gate-national-cemetery/" target="_blank">Friendship in Death: The Nimitz Plot at Golden Gate National Cemetery</a></td> <td>August 14, 2020</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/77490/remembering-fort-gratiots-july-1832-cholera-victims/" target="_blank">Remembering Fort Gratiot's July 1832 cholera victims at Lakeside Cemetery Soldiers Lot</a></td> <td>July 31, 2020</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/77034/remembering-the-uss-indianapolis-ca-35-on-its-75th-anniversary/" target="_blank">Remembering the USS Indianapolis (CA 35) on its 75th Anniversary</a></td> <td>July 30, 2020</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/72702/jo-ann-k-webb-ncas-first-female-director/" target="_blank">Jo Ann K. Webb: NCA's First Female Director</a></td> <td>March 19, 2020</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/70475/story-ncas-presidential-memorial-certificates/" target="_blank">The Story of NCA's Presidential Memorial Certificate</a></td> <td>January 21, 2020</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/69492/national-day-horse-3rd-massachusetts-cavalry/" target="_blank">National Day of the Horse & the 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry</a></td> <td>December 3, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/65329/enslaved-enlisted-reddy-grays-grave-underground-railroad-site/" target="_blank">Enslaved to Enlisted: Reddy Gray's Grave is Underground Railroad site</a></td> <td>September 4, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/62805/emma-morrill-fogg-french-civil-war-nurse/" target="_blank">Emma Morrill Fogg French – Civil War Nurse</a></td> <td>July 8, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/60544/cemetery-monuments-embody-service-sacrifice/" target="_blank">Cemetery Monuments Embody Service, Sacrifice</a></td> <td>May 24, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/60673/may-memorial-day-mowing/" target="_blank">May is for Memorial Day...and Mowing</a></td> <td>May 23, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/60383/mount-moriah-naval-plot-history-restoration/" target="_blank">Mount Moriah Naval Plot: History and Restoration</a></td> <td>May 16, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/59698/resuscitating-dayton-national-cemeterys-tunnel-death/" target="_blank">Resuscitating Dayton National Cemetery's 'Tunnel of Death'</a></td> <td>May 3, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/58748/97-years-ago-new-government-headstone-for-world-war-veterans/" target="_blank">97 years ago: New Government Headstone for World War Veterans</a></td> <td>April 26, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/56551/presence-of-president-lincolns-gettysburg-address-in-national-cemeteries-is-a-birthday-legacy/" target="_blank">President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in National Cemeteries is a Birthday Legacy</a></td> <td>February 12, 2019</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/48501/memorial-day-150/" target="_blank">Memorial Day at 150</a></td> <td>May 17, 2018</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/45829/buffalo-soldier-makes-history-serving-as-superintendent-of-va-cemeteries/" target="_blank">Buffalo Soldier Makes History Serving as Superintendent of VA Cemeteries</a></td> <td>February 28, 2018</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://news.va.gov/32345/nca-historian-works-to-preserve-national-cemeteries-50th-anniversary-of-the-national-historic-preservation-act/" target="_blank">NCA Historians Preserve National Cemeteries: 50th anniversary of National Historic Preservation Act</a></td> <td>October 27, 2016</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> 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<li><a href="https://www.va.gov/op3/docs/StrategicPlanning/VA2014-2020strategicPlan.pdf" >Strat Plan FY 2014-2020</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/performance/index.asp" >VA Plans, Budget, & Performance</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/ogc/accreditation.asp" >VA Claims Representation</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  <div class="col"> <span class="blue-hdr top-level"><a href="javascript:void(0)">RESOURCES</a></span> <div class="ftrcls"> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/jobs/">Careers at VA</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.vets.gov/employment/">Employment Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.oefoif.va.gov/" >Returning Service Members</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/index.asp" >Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/homeless/" >Homeless Veterans</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/womenvet/" >Women Veterans</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/centerforminorityveterans/" >Minority Veterans</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/Plain_Language.asp" >Plain Language</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/survivors/" >Surviving Spouses & Dependents</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/" >Adaptive Sports Program</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  <div class="col"> <span class="blue-hdr top-level"><a href="javascript:void(0)">ADMINISTRATION</a></span> <div class="ftrcls"> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.va.gov/health/default.asp" >Veterans Health Administration</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/" >Veterans Benefits Administration</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cem.va.gov/" >National Cemetery Administration</a></li> </ul> </div> </div>  </div> </div> </div> <div id="sub-footer"> <p>U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420</p> <p class="small-print">Last updated November 26, 2024</p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="modal-crisisline" class="va-overlay va-modal va-modal-large" role="alertdialog" > <div class="va-crisis-panel va-modal-inner va-rounded--all"> <h2 id="va-crisis-title" class="va-text-center va-uppercase">Get help from Veterans Crisis Line</h2> <div class="va-overlay-body va-crisis-panel-body"> <ul> <li><a href="tel:988" tabindex='0' id="va-crisis-primary"><i class="fas fa-phone icon-left" aria-hidden="true"></i> Call <strong>988 (Press 1)</strong></a></li> <li><a href="sms:838255"><i class="fas fa-mobile-alt icon-left" aria-hidden="true"></i> Text to <b>838255</b></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ChatTermsOfService.aspx?account=Veterans%20Chat"><i class="far fa-comments"></i> Chat <b>confidentially now</b></a></li> <li ><i class="fa fa-fw fa-deaf icon-left margin-right-2 margin-top-2 fa-lg" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="tel:18007994889"> Call TTY if you have hearing loss <strong>1-800-799-4889</strong></a></li> </ul> <p>If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, visit <a href="https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/">VeteransCrisisLine.net</a> for more resources.</p> </div> <button class="va-modal-close va-overlay-close" type="button" id="va-vcl-close-btn"><span class="usa-sr-only">Close this modal</span> <i class="far fa-times-circle fa-2x va-overlay-close usa-text-blue" aria-hidden="true" title="close this modal"></i> </button> </div> </div> <script src="/va_files/2014/responsive/scripts/crisis-modal2.js"></script> </body> </html>

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