those lives lost in bravery and courage, conviction and virtue, duty and honor, to preserve the freedom and safety of the land they loved.
The number of American soldiers buried in foreign lands is much higher than I expected to find.
WWI - 30,912 with 4,452 missing.
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France, most from WWI, total of 14,246.
The foreign burials from WWII are a staggering 93,202 with 55,851 missing.
Lorraine American WWII Cemetery and Memorial in France, 10,489.
Information needed to find a family member killed and buried in a foreign land can be found on this site and by name here Another resource is here.
This is the list of foreign cemeteries where tens of thousands of American soldiers rest.
Aisne-Marne, France
Ardennes, Belgium
Brittany, France
Brookwood, England
Cambridge, England
Corozal, Panama
Epinal, France
Flanders Field, Belgium
Florence, Italy
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Lorraine, France
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Manila, Philippines
Meuse-Argonne, France
Mexico City, Mexico
Netherlands, Netherlands
Normandy, France
North Africa, Tunisia
Oise-Aisne, France
Rhone, France
Sicily-Rome, Italy
Somme, France
St. Mihiel, France
Suresnes, France
Ardennes, Belgium
Brittany, France
Brookwood, England
Cambridge, England
Corozal, Panama
Epinal, France
Flanders Field, Belgium
Florence, Italy
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Lorraine, France
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Manila, Philippines
Meuse-Argonne, France
Mexico City, Mexico
Netherlands, Netherlands
Normandy, France
North Africa, Tunisia
Oise-Aisne, France
Rhone, France
Sicily-Rome, Italy
Somme, France
St. Mihiel, France
Suresnes, France
Click on any of the above to view a video of the grounds and information, or go to the website of the American Battle Monuments Commission,
which is where I obtained the listing.
Do you know that there are many cremated remains of veterans that were never claimed? They are sitting in beat up containers on shelves in mortuaries across the country. An article about a local cemetery preparing to care for some of the unclaimed remains brought this to my attention. How sad is this, that no family members came forward to respectfully bury these young souls. If you would like to know more about this, you can visit the Missing in America Project website.
Enjoy your freedom this weekend.
9 comments:
Hi Marly.... Those numbers are indeed staggering. I had no idea....
How sad that there are so many unclaimed remains of our veterans all across the country. Too bad there isn't a cemetery that was created for these young heroes to forever rest in peace.... The thought that they have been left in old containers on dusty shelves makes me heartsick....
May we all remember the sacrifice that all of our soldiers and their families have made/are making for our freedom. Thanks for an eye-opening post. Happy Memorial Day,
Penny
Hi Marly...very sobering numbers. Al's father served in Europe as a supply sergeant. I have strong memories of marching, when I was very little, in the Decoration Day parade in my hometown carrying my little flag...all the way to the town's cemetery to honor the fallen. May they rest in peace....Jan
So sad. It truly breaks my heart that the families left behind did not know where their loved ones were or were unable to visit their graves. I cannot imagine the misery that must have caused. We must all be forever thankful for the sacrifices made by the military, then and now.
Sandra
Homespun Elegance
www.plainfancymerchant.blogspot.com
Very thought provoking post Marly. It is hard to imagine that so many soldiers' remains are left unclaimed. Thank you for posting all this info.
Thanks for that informative post! I know I have an 'outlaw' (related to an inlaw, kind of far from directly related to me, but related, nonetheless...) that has a cenotaph in the family cemetery because he is buried at Argonne. I had never heard of that before then. We don't know how many truly gave their lives until we see the numbers like you posted. That's a LOT of families affected. Hugs!
Thank you so much for such an informative and important post. I will be watching the Memorial Day program from the Capitol. Just my way of taking time to think about the sacrifices so many have made.
Thanks for bringing forth the true meaning of this weekend. Maybe with some statistics posted a few more people will realize how much was sacrificed for our freedoms...
Remember and honor; what a lovely to post. Let us not forget.
Beautiful pictures. I have a great uncle who fought in WW1 buried over in France. I was able to get pictures and info on his grave by contacting a society that is just for US soldiers buried in other countries. Wish I could remember the name of it but old age......
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