The Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) just introduced a Living Veteran feature that enables service members to build their personalized legacies by sharing life and career milestones, stories and experiences in their own words.
What is the VLM?
Containing nearly 10 million profile pages, the Veterans Legacy Memorial is the largest online memorial website dedicated to America's veterans whose remains are buried in national cemeteries or are distinguished by VLM headstones and markers.
Each page is fully interactive so photos can be posted by family members, friends and others. Additionally, a tribute section provides a place to contribute comments or share what is happening as if in a conversation with their loved ones. All posts are moderated using an automated process and, if flagged, then with a review by a VLM staff member.
The Living Veteran Feature
The Living Veteran feature allows retired or disabled service members to be a part of their own memorial pages. They can add their own profile photo, biographies, PDFs of awards, historical documents and other images, such as Word Clouds. Other sections facilitate documenting milestone events and adding group, family and other photos.
All veteran-generated content is stored off-line by the VA. As soon as a burial benefit is requested after a veteran passes, the Living Veteran page is published to the VLM website unless the family prefers that not to happen. The veteran-provided content is highlighted so visitors to the page can see the veteran’s personal words and contributions.
To participate in the Living Veteran feature, veterans must establish eligibility for burial in a national cemetery. The short pre-need application can be completed online in less than 15 minutes. A Living Veteran page is generated upon approval.
Retired veterans and those with a VA disability rating are automatically approved, and the Living Veteran processing proceeds quickly. Also, although the pre-need application offers an opportunity to select a burial location, there is no penalty for changing location or choosing a private or other cemetery. A simple request for a memorial benefit headstone and marker suffices for the publication of a VLM page.
Upon pre-need approval, a veteran can access the Living Veteran feature on the VLM navigation bar, scroll down to the Already Approved for Pre-Need box, login and start building their page.
VLM pages create a greater understanding and appreciation of service members' contributions to our country and our lives. AUSN encourages members to take advantage of this Living Veteran program.