American Battle Monuments Commission



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. An additional 6,033 American veterans and others are interred in the Mexico City National Cemetery and Corozal American Cemetery and Memorial.

Complete sortable list of ABMC cemeteries

 * {|cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 border=1 style="border-collapse:collapse;" class="sortable"

!|Cemetery !|Country !|Conflict ! class="unsortable"|Web ! class="unsortable"|Video ! class="unsortable"|Booklet ! Coordinates
 * - style="background:#faecc8;"
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.07944°N, 3.29139°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Belgium
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 50.5475°N, 5.46556°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 48.52°N, -1.30167°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial
 * United Kingdom
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * None
 * 51.30139°N, -0.63972°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial
 * United Kingdom
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 52.21694°N, 0.05528°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Corozal American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Panama
 * Panama Canal
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * 8.99111°N, -79.57056°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 48.14361°N, 6.49194°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Belgium
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 50.87361°N, 3.45222°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Florence American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Italy
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 43.68417°N, 11.21111°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Belgium
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 50.6975°N, 5.89833°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.12167°N, 6.71444°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Luxembourg
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.61167°N, 6.18556°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Philippines
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 14.54444°N, 121.04861°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.33417°N, 5.08972°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Mexico City National Cemetery
 * Mexico
 * Mexican War
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * None
 * 19.44194°N, -99.16611°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Netherlands
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 50.82083°N, 5.80361°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.36028°N, -0.85722°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Tunisia
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 36.86528°N, 10.32944°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.20222°N, 3.54806°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 43.53611°N, 6.47306°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial
 * Italy
 * World War II
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 41.46528°N, 12.65833°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Somme American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 49.985°N, 3.21333°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 48.95694°N, 5.85306°W
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial
 * France
 * World War I
 * Link
 * .wmv
 * .pdf
 * 48.87194°N, 2.21889°W
 * }
 * }

Complete sortable list of ABMC monuments

 * {|cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 border=1 style="border-collapse:collapse;" class="sortable"

! style="width:35%;"|Monument ! style="width:17%;"|Country ! style="width:19%;"|Nearest town ! style="width:21%;"|Conflict ! style="width:8%;" class="unsortable"|Web
 * - style="background:#faecc8;"
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Audenarde American Monument
 * Belgium
 * Oudenaarde
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Belleau Wood American Monument
 * France
 * Belleau
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Bellicourt American Monument
 * France
 * St. Quentin
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Cabanatuan American Memorial
 * Philippines
 * Cabanatuan City
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Cantigny American Monument
 * France
 * Montdidier
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Chateau-Thierry American Monument
 * France
 * Château-Thierry
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Chaumont AEF Headquarters Marker
 * France
 * Chaumont
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * East Coast Memorial
 * USA
 * New York City
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Guadalcanal American Memorial
 * Solomon Islands
 * Guadalcanal
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Honolulu Memorial
 * USA
 * Honolulu
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Kemmel American Monument
 * Belgium
 * Ieper (Ypres)
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * United Nations Memorial Cemetery
 * South Korea
 * Busan
 * Korean War
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Montfaucon American Monument
 * France
 * Verdun
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Montsec American Monument
 * France
 * St. Mihiel
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Naval Monument at Brest
 * France
 * Brest
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Naval Monument at Gibraltar
 * Gibraltar
 * Gibraltar
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Pointe du Hoc American Monument
 * France
 * St. Laurent-sur-Mer
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Papua American Marker
 * New Guinea
 * Papua
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Saipan American Memorial
 * USA
 * Saipan
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Santiago Surrender Tree
 * Cuba
 * Santiago de Cuba
 * Spanish American War
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Sommepy American Monument
 * France
 * St. Menehould
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Souilly American Headquarters Marker
 * France
 * Claye-Souilly
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Tours American Monument
 * France
 * Tours
 * World War I
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Utah Beach American Monument
 * France
 * Ste-Marie-du-Mont
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * West Coast American Memorial
 * USA
 * San Francisco
 * World War II
 * Link
 * - style="background:#faf6ed;"
 * Western Task Force American Marker
 * Morocco
 * Casablanca
 * World War II
 * Link
 * }

Members
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.

Chairmen of the ABMC

 * General of the Armies John J. Pershing, (1923–1948)
 * General of the Army George C. 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)
 * General Merrill McPeak (2010–present)

Current Commissioners

 * Cindy Campbell
 * Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
 * Darrell Dorgan
 * John L. Estrada
 * Evelyn P. Foote
 * Rolland Kidder
 * Richard L. Klass
 * Constance Morella
 * Ike Skelton
 * Maura C. Sullivan
 * Max Cleland, Secretary

Other national war graves commissions

 * Austria – Austrian Black Cross (Austrian War graves on the Vienna Central cemetery are still looked after by German War Graves Commission. )
 * France – Ministère de la Défense
 * Germany – German War Graves Commission
 * Netherlands – Oorlogsgravenstichting (Netherlands Wikipedia)
 * Russia – Association of War Memorials
 * United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa – Commonwealth War Graves Commission