Melissa Nelson Gabriel

mnelsongab@pnj.com

Elizabeth and Edmund Gabriel are among thousands of people buried in the sprawling Barrancas National Cemetery at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

Elizabeth, my mother-in-law, was buried there in July 2015. My father-in-law, a World War II Merchant Marine, was buried there in January 2010.

They were proud to have earned the right to be buried in the military cemetery. They knew firsthand of the sacrifices made by merchant seamen in World War II and wanted that sacrifice to be remembered by future generations.

After the war, Edmund piloted ships through the Panama Canal. Elizabeth was a loving mother of six known for running her household with the same order and efficiency that her husband ran his ships. They moved to Pensacola in the last years of their lives to be near my husband and their grandchildren.

Their shared grave marker now sits at the end of a long row of like markers in a newer section of the cemetery. Of the more than 46,000 people interred in Barrancas since the early 1800s, Edmund and Elizabeth Gabriel are the two who are special to our large family.

My husband and I recently decided to visit their gravesite, both to pay our respects and to see if a recent string of complaints about changes to Barrancas access were valid. The base revised its access procedures early last year to mirror security policies at military bases nationwide. Under the changes, non-Department of Defense authorized visitors must obtain a security pass and clear a background check to enter the main section of the base, which includes the cemetery.

Before I share our experience, I'd like to share experiences of other recent Barrancas visitors.

The family of a Pensacola airman who was killed in Afghanistan in 2015, complained about base access after they were turned away on Christmas Day because the base's visitor control center was closed. A base spokesman later apologized and said the family wasn't supposed to be turned away. The spokesman said security officers at the gate should have called higher-ranking base officials to grant access.

Deborah Risher-Crossland of Pensacola wrote in a Dec. 30 letter to the News Journal that her experience trying to leave flowers at her father's grave made her feel that she was being suspected of trying to compromise national security.

"Be prepared to be pulled over and subjected to filling out an extensive form (with documentation) regarding who you are, what you drive, where you work and the possibility of a criminal background check," she wrote.

Donna Aberg wrote in a Jan. 12 letter to the News Journal that she had a similar experience during a recent visit to Barrancas.

"Both of my parents are buried there and up until recent security changes, I was able to visit them frequently. Now it is almost impossible. After three attempts, I gave up," she wrote.

Navy veteran Richard McFadden wrote on Jan. 9 that he had changed his will to reflect that he no longer wished to be buried at Barrancas.

"I also understand the need for tighter security in light of the terror attacks around the world," he wrote. But, McFadden said, the security has made visiting loved ones buried in Barrancas too difficult for families.

"I did not know Area-51 had moved to NASP," he wrote. "It seems welcome signs have been replaced with locked gates that may or may not be open to the public."

I briefed my husband about the situation before our attempt to visit his parents' grave. I warned him that our visit would likely require patience and paperwork. I knew visiting his parents' gravesite wasn't easy for my husband and I knew that filling out forms and waiting in lines wouldn't leave either of us in a good mood.

We were prepared for the worst when we pulled up to the main gate at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday morning and asked to visit the cemetery. The guard directed us to the visitor control center at the base entrance to fill out a two-page form and provide other documentation required to obtain an access pass.

The form asked for a full name, date and place of birth, gender, country of citizenship, Social Security number, driver's license number, weight, height, hair color, eye color, home address, phone number, and whether we had been convicted of felonies. The base also required a valid driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of car insurance.

By 9:41 a.m., we had each completed our form and taken a number to be seen by a clerk. There were about a dozen other people in the waiting area including several contractors needing access to work on the base.

At 9:50 a.m. we were called to the counter. The civilian employee who reviewed our forms and other documents was polite and efficient. He made sure everything was in order, approved us to visit the cemetery and suggested we obtain a six-month passes, which would allow us to pass through the gate for the next six months without stopping at the visitor center.

The young sailor who issued our six-month passes was friendly and efficient. She took our photos, scanned our fingerprints and asked basic questions.

She told us we had come at a relatively quiet time. The office gets busy in spurts and it is difficult to predict when a line might form or how long wait times might be, she said.

Talking with the cheerful young sailor reminded us why base security is so crucial. Unfortunately, military installations and American service members have been targets in our uncertain world. Base leaders have said their priority is protecting the hundreds of active-duty military members and civilian employees who live and work at Pensacola Naval Air Station.

We walked out of the visitor center, passes in hand, at 9:55 a.m. and headed to the cemetery.

"Edmond P. Gabriel, Merchant Marine, World War II, Husband, Father, Master Mariner," reads my father-in-law's side of the marker. "Elizabeth Gabriel. Loving Wife and Devoted Mother," reads my mother-in-law's side.

My husband and I took a few quiet moments to reflect on their lives. We then spent a little time walking around and looking at other graves in the area.

We exited the base at 10:44 — an hour and 10 minutes after we entered.

Based on experiences described by others, our visit went smoothly.

I see how the process might have left us frustrated and grumpy if we had attempted the visit without knowing what to expect or without allowing enough time to go through the security clearance. The inconveniences for out-of-town family, who might want to spend time at the cemetery during a brief visit to our area, are obvious.

The best advice we can give based on our experience is to be prepared for paperwork and to have plenty of patience if you are planning a visit to Barrancas.

Tips for visiting Barrancas National Cemetery

If the waiting area is busy, it might be better to come back on a different day.

You need a valid driver's license or passport, vehicle registration and current proof of car insurance.

Be prepared to fill out forms and provide personal information including a Social Security number.

The base has the authority to arrest anyone with an outstanding arrest warrant found during the background check.

Barrancas facts

Barranacas was established as a national cemetery in 1868.

It began in the early 1800s as a small cemetery near the hospital at Fort Barrancas.

The cemetery was expanded in 1838 and established as a Navy cemetery.

Many Civil War dead, both Union and Confederate, are buried in Barrancas.

Notable people buried in Barrancas