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This cache uses orienteering from the initial starting point for finding the key words that must be sent to the cache owner. In return the cache owner will send you an achievement certificate with information and instructions necessary to successfully log this cache.
The coordinates above are the starting point to “orienteer” your way to the virtual cache. You must use your GPS to project a waypoint to the virtual cache. Make sure your instrument is set for magnetic north. The virtual cache is the only headstone engraved with five stars and is found 466 feet (0.088 miles) from the starting point at a bearing of 52 degrees.
To successfully log this cache you must:
1) Send me an email (with your email address) describing the symbol and the first name on the headstone to the immediate left of the five star hero. I chose this headstone because this person shares the same name and birthday as my daughter. I will reply to your email with an “achievement certificate” which contains additional information needed to successfully log the cache.
2) Include the appropriate information from the achievement document in your log entry.
Please remember visitors are requested to conduct themselves in keeping with the dignity and sacredness that this hallowed ground deserves. On Memorial Day, a flag is placed next to EVERY headstone, creating an even more breathtaking scene of patriotism. Visiting hours are from 8am to 5pm daily.
About the Location:
In the days when the Spanish Empire spread up the western coast of North America, the Golden Gate National Cemetery site was known as the Rancho Buriburi. The Rancho land grants in Spanish California were made to disabled veterans to encourage colonization of the New World. The property later became part of the Sneath Ranch until purchased by the government.
Congress established the Golden Gate National Cemetery in 1937, shortly after San Franciscans voted to remove cemeteries from the city proper. Exempt from that order were the ancient cemetery of the Mission Dolores, the final resting place of many of the early Padres who brought European civilization to the area, and the San Francisco National Cemetery, located on Federal property at the Presidio of San Francisco.
This 161.5 acre tract was purchased by the War Department in 1938 and the official name Golden Gate National Cemetery was conferred upon it the following year. The Golden Gate National Cemetery was established prior to World War I!, with no knowledge of the coming global conflict, but rather, because the cemetery at the Presidio which had served the area since 1850 would soon be filled. Today the Golden Gate National Cemetery serve as a final resting place for America's brave and beloved men and women who sacrificed during their lives that they might bring peace and security to their country. There are over 137,435 interments as of 2008.
About the Headstones:
As you wander across the silent acres among the simple stones, you will notice variations. Here lies a Muslim, his faith revealed by the Crescent and Star incised upon his headstone. Here, beneath the Wheel of Buddah, the Cross and Crown, the Eastern Cross, the Star of David, the Greek Cross, lie those of the diverse nationalities and religious backgrounds who are the American people. Although they worshipped differently, they served in defense of the same democratic principles.
Amid the thousands of headstones carved with religious symbols, there are 44 stones that bear no such mark. These are the graves of German and Italian prisoners of war. These axis soldiers were captured in North Africa after the collapse of Rommel's Afrika Korps in 1943. Every year a memorial ceremony is held at Section E Z by the German consul who makes a special pilgrimage to San Bruno to honor those men who will never return to the distant shores of their native lands.
Another distinct feature among the rows of white, marble stones is the group burial marker. Specially designed government headstones bearing the names, ranks and dates of death for each member of the group honor those who died a common death for our common cause. Twenty eight markers have been dedicated to the 101 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who made the supreme sacrifice.
In 1973 Congress authorized the use of memorial stones in honor of those buried at sea or whose bodies have not been recovered. At the base of the flagpole is the Memorial Section of the Golden Gate National Cemetery. These men and women have earned the respect of their country and the permanent remembrance, which accompanies the erection of a memorial marker.
About the 5 Star Hero:
This is the final resting place of one of America's most valiant naval officers. He was named Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. It fell to this Admiral to utilize those resources in his command to hold back the Japanese advance in the Pacific until the war effort could provide the men and material needed.
This Admiral’s brilliant leadership and strategic organization of the U.S. naval forces at this crucial period earned for him the first of two Distinguished Service Medals and two gold stars in Lieu of additional Distinguished Service Medals. This Admiral was also cited by the Navy Department for his "unfailing judgment and sound decision" in the battle against the enemy in the Coral Sea and off Midway Island. His wartime service reached its pinnacle with the well planned amphibious assault on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
In December 1944, Congress authorized the five-star rank of Fleet Admiral and on December 19th, this Admiral took his oath and received his new rank. He shared that rank with very few. Admiral Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations during World War II, William Leahy, Truman's principal military advisor, and the legendary "Bull" Halsey. At the war's end, the Admiral was one of those aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay, to sign, for his country, the Japanese surrender documents.
The Admiral’s service to his country did not end with the war. In December of 1945, he became Chief of Naval Operations and served a two-year term. The clash of India and Pakistan over Kashmir brought an appointment from the United Nations to serve as Plebescite Administrator. The U.N. also utilized the Admiral’s experience and reputation as a roving goodwill ambassador. During all of this, and for the balance of his lifetime, this Admiral continued to provide guidance and counsel to the services and his nation.
The honor and dignity with which this Admiral served his country earned for him not only citations and medals but also the loyalty and respect of thousands of gallant men, living and departed, who fought under his command. His personal request to be interred with his men (rather than in Arlington National Cemetery) demonstrated his firm commitment to, and belief in, these brave seamen who answered the call. The headstone, which stands as a permanent mark of respect, differs from those around it in only one detail. In place of the religious designation are the five stars of the fleet admiral.
As a young Texan, this Admiral had planned to become a West Point cadet. This ambition was stifled when there was no appointment available to him from that institution. When offered an appointment at the Naval Academy instead, lie accepted and ironically enough, became "frightfully seasick" on his first voyage.
Destined for greatness, the Admiral overcame this initial trauma to become perhaps the most effective and successful naval hero of the twentieth century.
About the Five Star Rank:
There have only been nine men in America’s history to ever attain the five star rank. World War II precipitated the creation of this rank. The enormity of the war and the fact that several American commanders found themselves in the awkward position of commanding Allied officers of higher rank necessitated its creation.
The original title for the rank was to have been Field Marshal (after the British title) but the Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, refused to be known as "Field Marshal Marshall." Congress finally approved the rank in December 1944, almost too late to achieve its purpose. Generals Marshall, Eisenhower, MacArthur and Arnold, and Admirals Leahy, King and Nimitz were named at that time. Admiral Halsey was promoted to Fleet Admiral in December 1945, and General Bradley to General of the Army in September 1950, the last to be promoted to this rank.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur fgnegvat cbvag vf gur uvturfg cbvag va gur nern naq unf n snohybhf ivrj. Or fher gb hfr cebcre fcryyvat jura ragrevat gur cnffjbeq.