"This is in honor of my uncle, Keneth Paulson who died at Normandy in WWII , and to salute my mother, Shirley Todd, Sterling, Illinois, who has faithfully placed flowers on his grave in France every year since."
Mavis Christopher
FL
The Concert
2010 Features
Guardians of Our Fallen
Throughout the 20th century, American service members have answered the call of duty to go beyond our nation's borders: to risk their lives in far-off lands. This year's National Memorial Day Concert will pay homage to the more than 125,000 World War I and World War II fallen service members who did not come home but remained in 24 military cemeteries in the foreign lands where they fought for liberty. At the request of their loved ones, they were buried where they fought for liberty and freedom, and where they are still remembered with the deepest gratitude.
American Battle Monuments
The American Battle Monuments Commission website offers beautiful and extensive documentation of the twenty-four American Cemeteries and Memorials in foreign lands including narrated video tours, photos and histories of each location. These are hallowed grounds where both American and foreign visitors honor those who gave their lives for liberty.
Normandy, France
Netherlands
Oise-Aisne, France
Meuse-Argonne, France
North Africa-Tunisa
Sicily-Rome, Italy
Manila, Philippines
These cemeteries, created and maintained by the U.S. government through the American Battle Monuments Commission, are permanent memorial sites, built to stand the test of time. Dignified and serene, they were created to honor America's fallen, but they are also intended to inspire and teach the living. The documentary Hallowed Grounds, broadcast on PBS (check local listings), is about these remarkable shrines. The program weaves elements of a historical documentary with contemporary scenes of the cemeteries.
Normandy, France
Netherlands
Oise-Aisne, France
Meuse-Argonne, France
North Africa-Tunisa
Sicily-Rome, Italy
Manila, Philippines