Copyright M Live Michigan
HOLLY, MI – The federal government shutdown was a factor in the decision to cancel this year’s Veterans Day ceremony at Great Lakes National Cemetery. A message sent out by the Great Lakes National Cemetery Advisory Council to all volunteers who take part in the ceremony at the cemetery in Holly notes in part “Due to the current Federal Government shutdown, a number of Department of Veterans Affairs employees will be entering a ‘non-duty, non-pay’ status effective October 16, 2025.” Ronald Smith, president of the advisory council, told MLive/The Flint Journal all non-burial activities at the cemetery have been canceled for now. The cemetery, which held its first burial in October 2025, is operated by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Burials are still taking place, Smith said, but a recent headstone cleaning event was canceled as employees are taking care of essential tasks only. “Any organization that wants to do something at the cemetery has to have a cemetery staff member on site,” he said. “With the current situation, they can’t mow the grass…hence the Veterans Day event is canceled.” With a federal lapse in appropriations for veterans cemeteries, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notes interring veterans and eligible family members will continue, along with conducting committal services, scheduling burials, determining burial eligibility, and processing headstone/marker applications. Activities not continuing at this time include permanent headstone/marker installation by NCA (National Cemetery Administration) employees, grounds maintenance (mowing, trimming, mulching, or other landscape management) by NCA employees, as well as awarding new veterans cemetery grants. There have been approximately 70,000 internments at Great Lakes National Cemetery in the past two decades, Smith said. “The guys and girls that are working out there, they are dedicated,” he said. “They love their jobs, and we love them.” The message to volunteers apologizes “for the short notice and the inconvenience this may have caused you.” “The current situation that they are working under, it’s not good,” Smith said of the cemetery’s employees. “The people that work there are taxed to the max.” Smith served 22 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Master Sergeant in 1998. He got involved with the advisory council in 2012 as part of the Patriot Guard Riders and took part in some missions with them at the cemetery. Smith has served as president of the cemetery’s advisory council for three years. The advisory council is a nonprofit organization that’s “engaged to assure that the men and women who served honorably in the United States military are appropriately recognized and remembered by sponsoring suitable memorials and promoting community awareness through education and ceremonial programs that are not supported by congressional appropriation” and is not an agency of the federal government, the group’s website reads. The Veterans Day ceremony takes a small army of volunteers to put on. “There is always something that needs to be done. The cemetery staff is there in an all-hands-on deck mode. The MTA supports us with buses and drivers,” Smith said. “The hospital allows us to use their parking lot. Several police agencies assist with traffic control. The Salvation Army Canteen is on site along with an ambulance just in case. “We set up about 800 chairs and fifty state flags in the event area. Council members are there handing out programs and assisting people as necessary. Patriot Guard Riders assist with traffic control on site. New Century Choral provides music (a high school choir from three separate schools). “A popular saying is, we have enough volunteers to get the job done...we can always use more.” Despite the current federal government shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history, Smith said “a huge point is that the cemetery is open from dawn to dusk every day.” “If people want to come out and visit their loved ones, come on out,” he said. As far as the shutdown is concerned, Smith would like to see a resolution happen in short order. “The sooner the government can get back open, the better for everything, including our cemetery,” he said.
