Remember This!
On Memorial Day, we honor and remember those who gave their last full measure in behalf of freedom and their Country. Here are some reminders for your edification. ( pdf version )
1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne - 2289 American Dead and 1,600 Missing
The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is located 6.5 miles/10.5 kilometers northwest of Chateau-Thierry, just southwest of the village of Belleau, Aisne, France. Read more...
A total of 2289 of our military dead.
2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes Belgium - 5,239 Americans Dead
A total of 5329 of our dead at the American Cemetery at Ardennes Belgium
This cemetery was created as a result of WWII and is located near the southeast edge of Neupre (Neuville-en-Condroz), Belgium, which is twelve miles southwest of Liege, Belgium.
Ardennes is ninety acres in size, and contains the graves of 5,328 American military who died in action mostly during WWII. The like cross shaped headstones are aligned in straight rows which compose the form of a huge Greek cross on the lawn, framed by groups of trees. In addition to this there is an area with a memorial monument, inscribed with the names of 462 missing in action. The cemetery also was used as the location of the Central Identification Point for the American Graves Registration Service of the War Department for some time.
3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France - A Total Of 4410 Of Our Military Dead
The Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial south of Saint-James, France near the eastern edge of Brittany and contains the remains of 4,410 of World War II American soldiers, most of whom lost their lives in the Normandy and Brittany campaigns of 1944. Along the retaining wall of the memorial terrace are inscribed the names of 498 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of soldiers who have been found.
4. Brookwood, England American Cemetery - A total of 468 of our dead.
Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe. This 4-acre (16,000 m2) site lies to the west of the civilian cemetery. It contains the graves of 468 American military dead and a further 563 with no known grave are commemorated. It is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Close by are military cemeteries and monuments of the British Commonwealth and other allied nations
5. Cambridge , England, 3812 Of Our Military Dead.
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial is a cemetery and chapel near the village of Madingley in Cambridgeshire. It was opened in 1956, and commemorates the American servicemen who died in World War II. It is run by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The cemetery has approximately 3,812 graves of servicemen who died in the area, including airmen over Europe and sailors from North Atlantic convoys. The inscribed Wall of the Missing includes four representative statues of servicemen, sculpted by American artist Wheeler Williams.
6. Epina France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.
The Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in France, 48.6 acres in extent, is sited on a plateau 100 feet above the Moselle River in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. It contains the graves of 5,255 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the campaigns across northeastern France to the Rhine and beyond into Germany. The cemetery was established in October 1944 by the 46th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company of the U.S. Seventh Army as it drove northward from southern France through the Rhone Valley into Germany. The cemetery became the repository for the fatalities in the bitter fighting through the Heasbourg Gap during the winter of 1944-45.
On May 12, 1958, thirteen caskets draped with American flags were placed side by side at the memorial. Each casket contained the remains of one World War II Unknown American, one from each of the thirteen permanent American military cemeteries in the European Theater of Operations. In a solemn ceremony, General Edward J. O'Neill, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Communication Zone, Europe, selected the Unknown to represent the European Theater. It was flown to Naples, Italy and placed with Unknowns from the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters of Operation aboard the USS Blandy for transportation to Washington, D.C. for final selection of the Unknown from World War II. On Memorial Day, 1958, the remains were buried alongside the Unknown from World War I at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
7. Flanders Field, Belgium - A total of 368 of our military
Flander's Fields
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War I cemetery on the southeast edge of the town of Waregem, Belgium. This is the only American World War I cemetery in Belgium and 411 American servicemen are buried or commemorated there. Many of them fell at Spitaals Bosschen, an action of the Ypres-Lys Campaign by the 91st Infantry Division in the closing days of World War I.
8. Florence, Italy - A Total Of 4402 Of Our Military Dead
Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Tuscany, Italy
The Florence American Cemetery and Memorial is about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) south of Florence, Italy, about two miles south of the Certosa-Florence exit of the Rome-Milan autoroute. It covers about 70 acres, chiefly on the west side of the Greve river, framed by wooded hills. Most of those buried here are from the Fifth Army who died in the fighting that followed the capture of Rome in June 1944; others fell in the heavy fighting in the Apennines between then and 2 May, 1945. It is run by the American Battle Monuments Commission
9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium - A Total Of 7992 Of Our Military Dead
View of the memorial, with headstones in the foreground
The Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial contains the graves of 7,992 members of the American military who died in World War II. It is one of fourteen cemeteries for American World War II dead on foreign soil, and is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The fifty-seven acre cemetery and memorial is located three kilometers northwest of the Walloon village of Henri-Chapelle, which lies approximately 30 kilometers east of Liège, Belgium on highway N3. Aachen, Germany is about 16 kilometers to the east of Henri-Chapelle on N3. It is one of three American war cemeteries in Belgium: Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial (World War I) and Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial (World War II)
10. Lorraine, France - A Total Of 10,489 Of Our Military Dead
The Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France covers 113.5 acres and contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II in Europe, a total of 10,489. Their headstones are arranged in nine plots in a generally elliptical design extending over the beautiful rolling terrain of eastern Lorraine and culminating in a prominent overlook feature. Most of the dead here were killed while driving the German forces from the fortress city of Metz toward the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. Initially, there were over 16,000 Americans interred in the St. Avold region, mostly from the U.S. Seventh Army's Infantry and Armored Divisions and its Cavalry Groups. St. Avold served as a vital communications center for the vast network of enemy defenses guarding the western border of the Third Reich.
The memorial, which stands on a plateau to the west of the burial area, contains ceramic operations maps with narratives and service flags. High on its exterior front wall is the large figure of St. Nabor, the martyred Roman soldier overlooking the silent host. On each side of the memorial, and parallel to its front, stretch the Tablets of the Missing on which are inscribed 444 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The entire area is framed in woodland
11. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - A Total Of 5076 Of Our Military Dead
The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The cemetery can be found 2.5 kilometers southwest of Findel Airport. It is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Under a US-Luxembourg treaty signed in 1951 the US government was granted free use in perpetuity of the land covered by the cemetery, without taxation.
The cemetery, which is 50.5 acres (204,000 m2) in extent contains the remains of 5,076 American service members. On 22 occasions two brothers rest side-by-side in adjacent graves. Most of the interred died during the Battle of the Bulge which was fought nearby in winter 1944/spring 1945. The 5,076 headstones are set in 9 plots of fine grass, lettered A to I. Separating the plots are two malls radiating from the memorial and two transverse paths. Two flagpoles overlook the graves area. Situated between the two flagpoles lies the grave of General George S. Patton Jr.
Not far from the cemetery entrance stands the white stone chapel, set on a wide circular platform surrounded by woods. It is embellished with sculpture in bronze and stone, a stained-glass window with the insignia of the five major U.S. commands that operated in the region, and a mosaic ceiling.
German fallen from the same battle are buried in the Sandweiler German war cemetery, about 1.5 kilometres away. The design of the tombstones are dark stone crosses compared to white tombstones of the American cemetery
12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.
Within the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France, which covers 130.5 acres, rest the largest number of our military dead in Europe, a total of 14,246. Most of those buried here lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I. The immense array of headstones rises in long regular rows upward beyond a wide central pool to the chapel that crowns the ridge. A beautiful bronze screen separates the chapel foyer from the interior, which is decorated with stained-glass windows portraying American unit insignia; behind the altar are flags of the principal Allied nations.
On either side of the chapel are memorial loggias. One panel of the west loggia contains a map of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Inscribed on the remaining panels of both loggias are Tablets of the Missing with 954 names, including those from the U.S. expedition to northern Russia in 1918-1919. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.
13. Netherlands , Netherlands . A total of 8301 of our military dead.
The World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial is a war cemetery which lies in the village of Margraten six miles east of Maastricht, in the most southern part of The Netherlands. It is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
The cemetery site has a rich historical background, lying near the famous Cologne-Boulogne highway, originally built by the Romans and used by Julius Caesar during his campaign in that area. The highway was also used by Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon, and Kaiser Wilhelm II. In May 1940, Hitler's legions advanced over the route of the old Roman highway, overwhelming the Low Countries. In September 1944, German troops once more used the highway for the withdrawal from the countries occupied for four years.
The tall memorial tower can be seen before reaching the cemetery which covers 65.5 acres. From the cemetery entrance the visitor approaches through the Court of Honor with its pool reflecting the chapel tower. The visitors' building is on the right and the museum with its three engraved operations maps describing the achievements of the American Armed Forces in the area during World War II is on the left. At the base of the tower facing the reflecting pool is a statue representing the grieving mother of her lost son.
The walls on either side of the Court of Honor contain the Tablets of the Missing on which are recorded the names of 1,722 American missing who gave their lives in the service of their country and who rest in unknown graves. Beyond the chapel and tower is the burial area which is divided into sixteen plots. Here rest 8,301 American dead, most of whom lost their lives nearby. Their headstones are set in long curves. A wide tree-lined mall leads to the flag staff which crowns the crest.
14. Normandy, France - A total of 9387 of our military dead.>
View of the cemetery from the memorial.
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, that honors American soldiers who died in Europe during World War II.
On June 8, 1944, the U.S. First Army established the temporary cemetery, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II[1]. After the war, the present-day cemetery was established a short distance to the East of the original site. Like all other overseas American cemeteries in France for WW I and II, France has granted the United States a special, perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of any charge or any tax. This cemetery is managed by the American government, under Congressional acts that provide yearly financial support for maintaining them, with most military and civil personnel employed abroad. The U.S. flag flies over these granted soils.
15. Oise-Aisne, France - A total of 6012 of our military dead.
The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial in France contains the remains of 6,012 American war dead, most of whom lost their lives while fighting in this vicinity in 1918 during the First World War. Their headstones, aligned in long rows on the 36.5-acre site, rise in a gentle slope from the entrance to the memorial at the far end. The burial area is divided into four plots by wide paths lined by trees and beds of roses; at the intersection are a circular plaza and the flagpole. Plots A through to D contains the graves of 6,012 American soldiers who died while fighting in this vicinity during World War I , as well as a monument for 241 Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country and whose remains were never recovered.
The memorial is a curving colonnade, flanked at the ends by a chapel and a map room. It is built of rose-colored sandstone with white trim bearing sculptured details of wartime equipment. The chapel contains an altar of carved stone. Engraved upon its Walls of the Missing are 241 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The map room contains an engraved and colored wall map portraying the military operations in this region during 1918.
Did you know - The US Army executed a total of 98 servicemen in the European Theatre of Operations during the Second World War for various crimes, including rape and/or murder. The remains of these servicemen were originally buried near the site of their executions, which took place in countries as far apart as England, France, Italy, and Tunisia. Eighteen of the total were executed at Shepton Mallet prison. Around 1949, all the remains were exhumed from their various burial places and re-interred in Plot E, which can be found behind the cemetery superintendent's quarters.
This private section for the "dishonored dead" adjoins (but is not part of) the main cemetery. The area is surrounded by a wall and the only access is via a locked door. Additionally, the 96 flat black grave-markers are inscribed only with numbers (not names etc), so it is impossible to identify individual prisoners without knowing the key. Visits to Plot E are not encouraged, so public access is difficult.
The remains of two prisoners were subsequently exhumed and returned to the USA after the war. The first was David Cobb (executed at Shepton Mallet on 12 March 1943) whose remains were repatriated to Dothan, Alabama in 1949. This particular repatriation appears to have been an administrative error. The second repatriation occurred much later and concerned the remains of Private Eddie Slovik. He was buried in the special "dishonored" plot until 1987, when his remains were exhumed and returned to the United States for burial next to his wife, Antoinette.
16. Rhone , France . A total of 861 of our military dead.
17. Sicily, Italy - A total of 7861 of our military dead.
Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is a cemetery for American military personnel who were killed in World War II. The site in Italy covers 77 acres, rising in a gentle slope from a broad pool with an island and cenotaph flanked by groups of Italian cypress trees. Beyond the pool is the immense field of headstones of 7,861 of American military war dead, arranged in gentle arcs on broad green lawns beneath rows of Roman pines. The majority of these men died in the liberation of Sicily (July 10 to August 17, 1943); in the landings in the Salerno Area (September 9, 1943) and the heavy fighting northward; in the landings at Anzio Beach and expansion of the beachhead (January 22, 1944 to May 1944); and in air and naval support in the regions.
A wide central mall leads to the memorial, rich in works of art and architecture, expressing America's remembrance of the dead. It consists of a chapel to the south, a peristyle, and a map room to the north. On the white marble walls of the chapel are engraved the names of 3,095 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The map room contains a bronze relief map and four fresco maps depicting the military operations in Sicily and Italy. At each end of the memorial are ornamental Italian gardens
18. Somme, France - A total of 1844 of our military dead.
Somme American Cemetery and Memorial in France is sited on a gentle slope typical of the open, rolling Picardy countryside. The 14.3-acre (58,000 m2) cemetery contains the graves of 1,844 of the United States' military dead from World War I. Most lost their lives while serving in American units attached to the British Army, or in operations near Cantigny. The headstones, set in regular rows, are separated into four plots by paths that intersect at the flagpole near the top of the slope. The longer axis leads to the chapel at the eastern end of the cemetery. A massive bronze door surmounted by an American eagle leads into the chapel, whose outer walls contain sculptured pieces of military equipment. Once inside, light from a cross-shaped crystal window above the marble altar bathes the subdued interior with light. The walls bear the names of 333 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.
19. St. Mihiel, France - A total of 4153 of our military dead.
The St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial in France, 40.5 acres (164,000 m2) in extent, contains the graves of 4,153 of American military dead from World War I. The majority of these died in the offensive that resulted in the reduction of the St. Mihiel salient that threatened Paris. The burial area is divided by Linden alignment trees and paths into four equal plots. At the center is a large sundial surmounted by an American eagle. To the right (west) is a statue of a World War I soldier and at the eastern end is a semi-circular overlook dominated by a sculpture representing a victory vase.
Beyond the burial area to the south is the white stone memorial consisting of a small chapel, a peristyle with a large rose-granite funeral urn at its center, and a map building. The chapel contains a beautiful mosaic portraying an angel sheathing his sword. On two walls of the museum are recorded the names of 284 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. On the wall facing the door is a large map of inlaid marble depicting the St. Mihiel Offensive
20. Suresnes, France - A total of 1541 of our military dead.
Originally a World War I cemetery, the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside Paris, France now shelters the remains of U.S. dead of both wars. The 7.5-acre cemetery contains the remains of 1,541 Americans who died in World War I and 24 Unknown dead of World War II. Bronze tablets on the walls of the chapel record the names of 974 World War I missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The World War I memorial chapel was enlarged by the addition of two loggias dedicated to the dead of World Wars I and II, respectively. In the rooms at the ends of the loggias are white marble figures in memory of those who lost their lives in the two wars. Inscribed on the loggia walls is a summary of the loss of life in our armed forces in each war, together with the location of the overseas commemorative cemeteries where our war dead are buried.
In Summary
Adding these all up that's 104,366 of our men and women. We should continuously remind everyone of these sacrifices. Never confuse arrogance with leadership. We need apologize to no one. As Americans, let's all look forward.
Pinhead Obama Dare's To Apologize?
(And we have a president in the White House who apologizes to people that our country is "arrogant"...) I wonder what their fathers, mothers, sons and daughters and husbands and wives would have to say about that?
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
Thomas Jefferson