Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
| Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Cimetière Américain (Meuse-Argonne) | |
| American Battle Monuments Commission | |
 Tombstones and the reflecting pool | |
| For the AEF, American Forces in Germany (1919–23), and AEF in North Russia (1918–19) dead and missing | |
| Established | October 14, 1918 |
| Unveiled | May 30, 1937 |
| Location |
49°20′03″N 05°05′36″E / 49.33417°N 5.09333°ECoordinates: 49°20′03″N 05°05′36″E / 49.33417°N 5.09333°E near Romagne, France |
| Designed by | York and Sawyer |
| Total burials | 14,246 plus 954 commemorated |
| Unknown burials | 486 |
| Statistics source: ABMC Meuse-Argonne web page | |
The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery (French: Cimetière Américain (Meuse-Argonne)) is a 130.5-acre (52.8 ha) World War I cemetery in France. It is located east of the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon in Meuse. The cemetery contains the largest number of American military dead in Europe (14,246),[1] most of whom lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and were buried there.[2] The cemetery consists of eight sections behind a large central reflection pool. Beyond the grave sections is a chapel which is decorated with stained glass windows depicting American units' insignias. Along the walls of the chapel area are the tablets of the missing which include the names of those soldiers who fought in the region and in northern Russia, but have no known grave. It also includes the Montfaucon American Monument. This cemetery is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. It is open daily to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The cemetery is closed January 1 and December 25, but is open on all other holidays.
Notable burials
- Medal of Honor recipients
- 2nd Lieut. Erwin R. Bleckley (1894–1918), for service near Binarville, France
- Capt. Marcellus H. Chiles (1895–1918), for action near Le Champy Bas, France
- Sergt. Matej Kocak (1882–1918), two-time recipient (Army and Navy medals)
- 2nd Lieut. Frank Luke Jr. (1897–1918), the "Arizona Balloon Buster" and first airman to receive the medal;[3] Luke Air Force Base is named after him.
- Major Oscar F. Miller (1882–1918), for his leadership in the Argonne
- Corpl. Harold W. Roberts (1895–1918), for action in the Montrebeau Woods
- Sup. Sgt. William Sawelson (1895–1918), for action at Grandpré, Ardennes
- Lieut. Col. Fred E. Smith (1873–1918), for action near Binarville, France
- Corpl. Freddie Stowers (1896–1918), for action in the Ardennes (medal awarded in 1991)
- Other notables
- Sergt. Victor E. Chapman (1890–1916), first American aviator to die in battle in the war[4]
- Capt. Edward L. Grant (1883–1918), pre-war professional baseball player
Gallery
Aerial view of cemetery.
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.
Grave of Corporal Ivy Courtney at the cemetery.
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery Chapel.
See also
References
- ↑ American Battle Monuments Commission Archived 2006-02-11 at the Wayback Machine.
Edward G. Lengel (8 January 2008). To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 The Epic Battle That Ended the First World War. Henry Holt and Company. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-8050-7931-9. - ↑ Chris Dickon (31 August 2011). The Foreign Burial of American War Dead: A History. McFarland. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7864-8501-7.
- ↑ http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2009/August%202009/0809luke.aspx
- ↑ Also has a cenotaph erected in St. Matthew's Episcopal Churchyard, Bedford, New York: Victor Emmanuel Chapman at Find a Grave
Further reading
- Sledge, Michael (2005). Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 204–6, 217. ISBN 9780231509374. OCLC 60527603.
- American Battle Monuments Commission
External links
- Official
- General information