American Battle Monuments Commission Information
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is a small independent agency of the United States government. Established by Congress in 1923, it is responsible for:
- Commemorating the services of the U.S. armed forces where they have served since April 6, 1917 (the date of U.S. entry into World War I)
- Establishing suitable memorial shrines; designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining permanent American military burial grounds in foreign countries
- Controlling the design and construction of U.S. military monuments and markers in foreign countries by other U.S. citizens and organizations, both public and private
- Encouraging the maintenance of such monuments and markers by their sponsors
The Commission administers, operates, and maintains 24 permanent American burial grounds on foreign soil. As of May 2006, there are 124,917 U.S. war dead interred at these cemeteries: 30,921 of World War I, 93,246 of World War II and 750 of the Mexican-American War. Additionally 6,033 American veterans and others are interred in the Mexico City National Cemetery and Corozal American Cemetery and Memorial.
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Complete sortable list of ABMC cemeteries
Complete sortable list of ABMC monuments
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Monument Country Nearest town Conflict Web Audenarde American Monument Belgium Oudenaarde World War I Link Belleau Wood American Monument France Belleau World War I Link Bellicourt American Monument France St. Quentin World War I Link Cabanatuan American Memorial Philippines Cabanatuan City World War II Link Cantigny American Monument France Montdidier World War I Link Chateau-Thierry American Monument France Château-Thierry World War I Link Chaumont AEF Headquarters Marker France Chaumont World War I Link East Coast Memorial USA New York City World War II Link Guadalcanal American Memorial Solomon Islands Guadalcanal World War II Link Honolulu Memorial USA Honolulu World War II Link Kemmel American Monument Belgium Ieper (Ypres) World War I Link Montfaucon American Monument France Verdun World War I Link Montsec American Monument France St. Mihiel World War I Link Naval Monument at Brest France Brest World War I Link Naval Monument at Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar World War I Link Pointe du Hoc American Monument France St. Laurent-sur-Mer World War II Link Papua American Marker New Guinea Papua World War II Link Saipan American Memorial Mariana Islands Saipan World War II Link Santiago Surrender Tree Cuba Santiago de Cuba Spanish American War Link Sommepy American Monument France St. Menehould World War I Link Souilly American Headquarters Marker France Claye-Souilly World War I Link Tours American Monument France Tours World War I Link Utah Beach American Monument France Ste-Marie-du-Mont World War II Link West Coast American Memorial USA San Francisco World War II Link Western Task Force American Marker Morocco Casablanca World War II Link
Chairmen of the ABMC
- Brigadier General John McAuley Palmer, (1921–1923)
- General of the Armies John J. Pershing, (1923–1948)
- General of the Army George Marshall, (1949–1959)
- General Jacob L. Devers, (1960–1969)
- General Mark W. Clark, (1969–1984)
- General Andrew Goodpaster, (1985–1990)
- General Paul X. Kelley, (1991–1994, 2001–2005)
- General Frederick F. Woerner, Jr., (1994–2001)
- General Frederick M. Franks, Jr., (2005–2009)
The authorizing legislation for the American Battle Monuments Commission (36 U.S.C., Chapter 21) specifies that the president will appoint 11 members to the commission and an officer of the regular Army to serve as the secretary. President Barack Obama appointed Max Cleland to serve as Secretary in June 2009. President Obama appointed eight commissioners in July 2010[1]:
- Darrell Dorgan
- John L. Estrada
- Evelyn P. Foote
- Rolland Kidder
- Richard L. Klass
- Merrill A. McPeak
- Constance Morella
- Maura C. Sullivan
See also
- Register of Culturally Significant Property
- National Register of Historic Places
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
References
- Nishiura, Elizabeth, editor (1989). American Battle Monuments: A Guide to Military Cemeteries and Monuments Maintained By the American Battle Monuments Commission. Detroit, Michigan: Omnigraphics Inc.
- Hallowed Grounds (2009). PBS video of twenty-two America's overseas military cemeteries in eight different countries.
Bibliography
- American Battle Monuments Commission (1938). American armies and battlefields in Europe: a history, guide, and reference book. U.S.G.P.O.. Selected photos available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection
- American Battle Monuments Commission (1938). American armies and battlefields in Europe: a history, guide, and reference book. U.S.G.P.O.. Maps available online through the Washington State Office of the Secretary of State's Washington History collection
- Nishiura, Elizabeth, editor, American Battle Monuments: A Guide to Military Cemeteries and Monuments Maintained By the American Battle Monuments Commission, Omnigraphics Inc., Detroit, Michigan 1989
External links
| Map of all coordinates from Google |
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| Export all coordinates as KML |
| Export all coordinates as GeoRSS |
| Map of all microformatted coordinates |
| Place data as RDF |
- World War I : Soldiers Remembered Presented by the Washington State Library and Washington State Archives
- Records of Thomas North regarding Dwight D. Eisenhower's service with the Commission, 1927-1929
Categories: Military memorials and cemeteries | World War I memorials and cemeteries | World War II memorials and cemeteries | United States military memorials and cemeteries | American Battle Monuments Commission | United States federal boards, commissions, and committees
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