Veterans Urns

2021 Abraham Lincoln Pillar of Excellence Award


The 2021 Abraham Lincoln Pillar of Excellence was awarded to the of state of Idaho in recognition of  Everlasting Tree’s Veterans Ceremonial Urn Cover Project.  John designed and created over eighty custom ceremonial urn covers for State and Federal Veterans Cemeteries.

This award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes excellence and innovation by honoring outstanding state programs that support veterans. The Pillars of Excellence Award was established by the VA in 2012 and each year seven awards are presented. This is the VA’s pinnacle of excellence award. 



Veteran Ceremonial Urns


Each Veterans Ceremonial Urn Cover is a handmade elegant creation that incorporates John’s artistic vision and signature waves. The natural elements of each urn cover creates a solemn feeling of strength and purity.  Numerous holes have been drilled in the base of the urn and are plugged with a brass cap. Soil or sand from a battlefield like Omaha Beach or Pearl Harbor is placed there to represent the battlegrounds where veterans fought and so many lost their lives.

Everlasting Tree donates urn covers to veterans cemeteries and veterans organizations where they are used by the family and friends of American veterans during the ceremony or funeral service. The leaf on the lid was replicated in bronze from an actual leaf collected from Arlington National Cemetery. They are cast at Valley Bronze in Joseph, Oregon.  Their work includes the bronze at the WWII Memorial, frames that hold the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.


Urn covers have been placed at the following locations. 

Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Boise, ID
Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, Blackfoot, ID
Snake River Canyon National Cemetery, Twin Falls ID
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 2136, Twin Falls, ID
Southern Nevada Veterans Cemetery, Las Vegas, NV
Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Fernley, NV
Washington State Veterans Cemetery, Spokane, WA
Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Helena, MT
Eastern Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Miles City,
Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Missoula, MT
Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, OR
Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, WA
Eagle Point National Cemetery, Eagle Point, OR
San Joaquin National Cemetery, Santa Nella, CA
Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA
Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego, CA
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Marana, AZ
Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Sierra Vista, AZ
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, HI
Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, NM
Sacramento National Cemetery, Dixon, CA
Bakersfield National Cemetery, Arvin, CA
Fort Richardson National Cemetery, Anchorage, AK
Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
Alabama National Cemetery, Montevallo, AL
Fort Mitchell National Cemetery, Fort Mitchell, AL
Pikes Peak National Cemetery, Colorado Springs, CO
Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Spooner, WI
Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Waupaca, WI
Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Union Grove, WI
Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, Bluffdale, UT
North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, ND
Western Carolina State Cemetery, Black Mountain, NC
Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, Spring Lake, NC
Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Goldsboro, NC
Historic Salisbury National Cemetery, Salisbury, NC
Salisbury National Cemetery Annex, Salisbury, NC
Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, NC
Virginia Veterans Cemetery, Amelia Court House, VA
Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, Suffolk, VA
Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, Dublin, VA
Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, Kaneohe, HI 

Urns have also been created for the following recipients
Elain Harmon Family
National Wasp WWII Museum
CSM Lee Brown, Jr. 
MOH Recipient Sammy Davis
MOH Recipient Duane Dewey 
MOH Recipient Woody Williams

Medal of Honor Urns


This Medal of Honor cremation urn was designed and created by Idaho artist, John Sword. Everlasting Tree donates these urns to the Medal of Honor Society for the family of the Metal of Honor Recipient.   

The leaf on the lid was replicated in bronze from an actual leaf collected from Arlington National Cemetery. They are cast at Valley Bronze in Joseph, Oregon.  Their work includes the bronze at the WWII Memorial, frames that hold the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.

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See also: 
Everlasting Tree Urn honors Army Command Sergeant Major at Arlington National Cemetery