Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- The financial hardship of burying a loved one can compound the grief - but there's relief for families who lose a veteran.

The Department of Veterans Affairs at the Riverside National Cemetery helps grieving families save $5,000 to $6,000 by making them aware of available benefits.

"There was one case in Barstow where a young Marine's 6-week-old baby died. The mortuary wanted $900 for their services. We gave the family some advice and got the whole thing done for $150," said retired Sgt. Maj. Guenther Griebau, a member of the cemetery's support committee.

According to Griebau, the VA offers such help all the time, in conjunction with the support committee.

"We do not charge for anything that takes place on the cemetery grounds," Griebau said.

The U.S. government pays for the plot, opening and closing of the grave, the grave liner and a memorial marker.

"As veterans, we have privileges in any National Cemetery," Griebau added.

Of 120 national cemeteries across the country, Riverside is the third largest with 740 acres.

The staff strives make it an inviting final resting place.

"Most families do not plan for tragedies, but we tried to make it easier for them by providing information and a place where they will want to visit loved ones," said Paul Adkins, support committee chairman.

To recognize those who served our country, cemetery staff have begun placing memorials on cemetery grounds. One memorial is finished, two are being built. Among them - a POW/MIA memorial scheduled to be completed within a year. Ten more memorials are proposed for the cemetery.

"We want this place to act as a shrine to all service members and a place to teach future generations," Adkins added.

The memorials are funded solely by donations and will represent every major conflict in United States history. To date, the support committee has raised $3.2 million for these projects.

"We hope that not only will the memorials help to console the grieving, but also teach younger generations of the sacrifices made for freedom," Griebau said. "We hope that schools will take trips here, and use the memorials as instructional pieces to teach about past wars."

The cemetery further recognizes service members of yesteryear with monthly services for those who died without friends or family members.

"It is our way of making sure all veterans are remembered properly," Adkins said.

For more information on how the VA can help you, visit its Web site at http://www.cem.va.gov.