By Dan Smaczny, National Museum of the American Sailor Contract Curator
The National Museum of the American Sailor invites the public to attend our annual Naval Station Great Lakes Cemetery Tour on October 13, 2018 at 10:00am and 2:00 pm.
Experience the history of Naval Station Great Lakes as you venture through one of the Navy’s most private cemeteries. The tour, which involves walking and standing, starts at the National Museum of the American Sailor and will last one to one-and-a-half hours. Naval Station Great Lakes Cemetery contains over one hundred fifty burials. The first burial in the cemetery took place in 1913, while the most recent burial was in 1996.
Included in this tour will be a visit to the gravesite of Joseph Wallace Gregg. On July 3, 
1911 Ordinary Seaman Joseph Wallace Gregg was the first recruit to report to Great Lakes Naval Training Station. He graduated on October 28, 1911 with the first graduating class at Great Lakes. Joe Gregg died on 30 June 1966. This cemetery is a testament to the important role that Naval Station Great Lakes played in the lives of the individuals and their families buried here.
This tour, which involves walking and standing, will last 1 to 1 1/2 hours, is open to the public, but registration must be made in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/naval-station-great-lakes-cemetery-tour-tickets-48613780125 or by contacting (847) 688-3154 or nmas.fct@navy.mil.
The museum is located at 2531 Sheridan Road, Great Lakes, IL 60088 and is adjacent to Gate 1 at Naval Station Great Lakes. Admission and parking are free. For additional information about the National Museum of the American Sailor, please visit www.history.navy.mil/nmas or our Facebook page.
The First Recruit Company included Joseph Wallace Gregg and Chief Warrant Officer Elgin Gilbert Clark who are buried next to each other in the Naval Station Great Lakes Cemetery.
Naval Station Great Lakes Cemetery
Sailor's Attic 