Memorial institution

Riverside National Cemetery Medal of Honor Memorial

The memorial collectively records Medal of Honor recipients, while the cemetery is also the burial place of five recipients documented by the Department of Veterans Affairs: John Henry Balch, Walter David Ehlers, Lewis Lee Millett, Mitchell Paige, and Ysmael Reyes Villegas. The archive separates the collective memorial from the five recipient burial relationships and makes no claim that their original medals are held on site.

MOH-MUS-000142Evidence reviewed 2026-10-11Open to the public

Medal of Honor Memorial at Riverside National Cemetery.Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee · Source-attributed institutional image; owner-directed archive use ↗ · Source ↗

Historical context

About this institution

Riverside National Cemetery is a major Department of Veterans Affairs burial and memorial landscape. At its third traffic circle, the Medal of Honor Memorial uses curved walls, recipient names, and a central ceremonial setting to provide national commemoration within an active cemetery. Dedicated in 1999, it is one of four federally recognized National Medal of Honor Memorial Sites and must be visited with the conduct appropriate to a national cemetery.

Why it matters to Medal of Honor research

Riverside brings together a national collective memorial and five independently documented recipient burials. It therefore supports both broad memorial-history research and precise biographical visitation while preserving the distinction between a name wall, a gravesite, and custody of a recipient’s original award.

Collection guide

What to look for

The following highlights summarize the strongest verified reasons to include this institution in the archive. They are a planning guide, not a promise that every object is on view at all times.

One of four National Medal of Honor Memorial Sites

Curved memorial walls carrying recipient names

Graves of five Medal of Honor recipients

1999 dedication within Riverside National Cemetery

Verified connections

Medal of Honor relationships

6 total

Collective Medal of Honor memorial

Riverside National Cemetery Medal of Honor Memorial

The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies Riverside National Cemetery as the home of a Medal of Honor Memorial whose walls carry recipient names. Dedicated in 1999, it is one of four National Medal of Honor Memorial Sites. This collective relationship does not imply custody of recipients’ original medals.

Record: Third traffic circle national memorial

Verified 2026-10-11 · Permanent

Evidence sources and scope

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration
Medal of Honor Memorial ↗Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee

Collective national memorial; individual Riverside burial relationships are published separately.

Recipient burial and memorial

John Henry Balch

The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies Medal of Honor recipient John Henry Balch as buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Section 2, Site 1925. This relationship connects a documented gravesite with the cemetery’s larger Medal of Honor memorial landscape and does not imply that the original medal is held there.

Record: Section 2, Site 1925

Verified 2026-10-11 · Permanent

Evidence sources and scope

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration

Official VA burial location and recipient memorial relationship; distinct from artifact custody.

Recipient burial and memorial

Walter David Ehlers

The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies Medal of Honor recipient Walter David Ehlers as buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Section 20A, Site 644. This relationship connects a documented gravesite with the cemetery’s larger Medal of Honor memorial landscape and does not imply that the original medal is held there.

Record: Section 20A, Site 644

Verified 2026-10-11 · Permanent

Evidence sources and scope

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration

Official VA burial location and recipient memorial relationship; distinct from artifact custody.

Recipient burial and memorial

Lewis Lee "red" Millett

The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Lee "red" Millett as buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Section 2, Site 1910. This relationship connects a documented gravesite with the cemetery’s larger Medal of Honor memorial landscape and does not imply that the original medal is held there.

Record: Section 2, Site 1910

Verified 2026-10-11 · Permanent

Evidence sources and scope

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration

Official VA burial location and recipient memorial relationship; distinct from artifact custody.

Recipient burial and memorial

Mitchell Paige

The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies Medal of Honor recipient Mitchell Paige as buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Section 20A, Site 533. This relationship connects a documented gravesite with the cemetery’s larger Medal of Honor memorial landscape and does not imply that the original medal is held there.

Record: Section 20A, Site 533

Verified 2026-10-11 · Permanent

Evidence sources and scope

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration

Official VA burial location and recipient memorial relationship; distinct from artifact custody.

Recipient burial and memorial

Ysmael Reyes Villegas

The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies Medal of Honor recipient Ysmael Reyes Villegas as buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Section 5, Site 1178. This relationship connects a documented gravesite with the cemetery’s larger Medal of Honor memorial landscape and does not imply that the original medal is held there.

Record: Section 5, Site 1178

Verified 2026-10-11 · Permanent

Evidence sources and scope

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration

Official VA burial location and recipient memorial relationship; distinct from artifact custody.

Collection focus

Historical specialties

National Medal of Honor MemorialRecipient-name walls and ceremonial landscapeFive Medal of Honor recipient gravesNational cemetery history and remembrance

Service connections

U.S. Army · U.S. Navy · U.S. Marine Corps

Conflict connections

World War I · World War II · Korean War

Visitor planning

Enter Riverside National Cemetery during published visitation hours and proceed respectfully to the memorial near the third traffic circle. Use the VA section and site numbers for the five named recipient graves, and check current cemetery notices before travel.

22495 Van Buren Boulevard
Riverside, California, 92518
United States

Open location in OpenStreetMap ↗Official website ↗Current visitor information ↗Collection or exhibit information ↗

Observe all national cemetery rules and avoid disrupting services or visiting families.
The collective memorial and individual graves are separate visitor destinations within a large cemetery.
No original medals or personal artifacts are claimed as cemetery holdings.
Use VA-published section and site numbers and confirm current visitation conditions before travel.

Admission prices, opening schedules, installation rules, and object availability are left to the institution because they can change.

Access status

Open to the public

Map point: 33.8775, -117.273889 · Verified Geotagged Memorial Site

Institution sources

Riverside National Cemetery ↗U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration · Priority 1
Medal of Honor Memorial ↗Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee · Priority 2
Riverside National Cemetery Medal of Honor Memorial photograph and geotag ↗Wikimedia Commons · Priority 4

Archive standard

“Original Medal of Honor” relationships require direct source evidence. A location record is not described as a current public display unless the institution confirms display status.