Korean War vet buried at L.A. National Cemetery after long wait

At least twice a year, Michael Watts would check to see if a burial plot was available at Los Angeles National Cemetery for his father, a veteran of the Korean War who died in August 2009.

But Watts was told there was no space and he would have to wait until a columbarium was constructed off of Constitution Avenue, west of the 405 Freeway.

Watts said he could have gone to San Diego or Riverside to bury hiis father, John K. Watts, an Army corporal during the Korean War. But his father grew up in the area. Los Angeles was home.

“He grew up in West L.A.,” Watts said. “He had the right to be there.”

Determined, Watts, 50, continued his routine of twice yearly phone calls and walk-ins but had little luck. Construction on the Constitution Avenue columbarium was delayed.

Watts continued his nearly five-year wait until he caught a break about a month ago when he was a told a gravesite was available.

“I had challenges in the beginning,” Watts said, “but once I got the acceptance or the opportunity to get in there, it just went really smooth.”

A service for John K. Watts was held Thursday.

Explaining the wait, Brad Phillips, director of the Memorial Service Network V, said that the Los Angeles National Cemetery is a closed cemetery. Gravesites occasionally become available when remains are moved to another cemetery or when an obstructing object, such as a tree, is cleared, he said.

The cemetery does not keep a waiting list, so the burial sites are granted to the the family member of an eligible veteran who first inquires after a site is made vacant, he said. Phillips encouraged family members interested in having their loved one interred to call the cemetery.

As for the columbarium, Phillips said that plans for it have been tied up in litigation. He declined to provide more information.

Watts said he harbors no ill-will toward the cemetery and said he realizes it was just a matter of finding space.

“I was so happy to get my father in there,” he said.

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