The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is an independent agency of the United States government that administers, operates, and maintains permanent U.S. military cemeteries, memorials and monuments primarily outside the United States.
There were 26 cemeteries and 31 memorials, monuments and markers under the care of the ABMC. There are more than 140,000 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen interred at the cemeteries, and more than 94,000 missing in action, lost, or buried at sea are memorialized on cemetery Walls of the Missing and on three memorials in the United States. The ABMC also maintains an online database of names associated with each site.
History The ABMC was established by the United States Congress in 1923. Its purpose is to: Commemorate the services of the U.S. Armed Forces where they have served since April 6, 1917; Establish suitable war memorials; designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining permanent U.S. military burial grounds in foreign countries; Control 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; Encourage the maintenance of such monuments and markers by their sponsors.
The United States Department of War established eight European burial grounds for World War I. The ABMC's first program was landscaping and erecting non-sectarian chapels at each of the eight sites, constructing 11 separate monuments and two tablets at other sites in Europe, and constructing the Allied Expeditionary Forces World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. For those buried who could not be identified during World War I, a percentage were commemorated by Star of David markers, rather than a cross; this practice was not continued for those who could not be identified during World War II.
In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order transferring control of the eight cemeteries to the ABMC, and made the commission responsible for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of all future permanent American military burial grounds outside the United States.
The ABMC has been the caretaker of cemeteries, monuments and memorials for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Mexican–American War. In 2013, Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Philippines became the 25th site under the control of the commission. Clark Veterans Cemetery dates back to the Philippine–American War at the turn of the 20th century. The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery outside Paris, France was added to the commission's responsibilities in 2017.
Structure
The agency has its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and its Overseas Operations Office in Paris, France.
The authorizing legislation for the American Battle Monuments Commission (36 U.S.C., Chapter 21) specifies that the President may appoint up to 11 members to the commission (who serve indefinite terms and who serve without pay) and an officer of the Army to serve as the secretary.
Chairmen of the ABMC John J. Pershing (1923–1948) George C. Marshall (1949–1959) Jacob L. Devers (1960–1969) Mark W. Clark (1969–1984) Andrew Goodpaster (1985–1990) Paul X. Kelley (1991–1994, 2001–2005) Frederick F. Woerner Jr. (1994–2001) Frederick M. Franks Jr. (2005–2009) Merrill McPeak (2010–2018) David Urban (2018–2021) Mark Hertling (2021–2023) Michael X. Garrett (2023–present)
Secretaries of the ABMC Xenophon H. Price (1923–1938) Thomas North (1946–1968) Andrew J. Adams (1968–1992) Joseph A. Laposata (1994–1995) John P. Herrling (1995–2005) John W. Nicholson (2005–2009) Max Cleland (2009–2017) William Matz Jr. (2018–2021) Charles K. Djou (2022–2025) Robert J. Dalessandro (acting; 2025–present)
Board of Commissioners ABMC's Presidentially-appointed commissioners are Michael X. Garrett; Florent Groberg; Christopher LaCivita; Kelly J. Roberts; Brooks D. Tucker; John Freeman; Dorothy (Deecy) Stephens Gray; David A. Warrington; David Bossie; and Michael D. Miller. Garrett was elected as chairman on August 1, 2023.
Operations The American Battle Monuments Commission employs a full-time staff of 472 people in 2023. All ABMC sites are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Cemeteries are not closed for national holidays. When the sites are open to the public, a commission staff member is available to escort visitors and relatives to grave and memorial sites or to answer questions.
Cemeteries and Memorials of the ABMC
CemeteryCountryConflictDedicatedBurialsMIAWebAisne-Marne American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I19372,2891,060DetailsArdennes American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19605,323463DetailsBrittany American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19564,409498DetailsBrookwood American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I1937468563DetailsCambridge American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19563,8125,127DetailsClark Veterans CemeteryPhilippine–American Warand afterc. 19002013 (with ABMC)8,000+DetailsCorozal American Cemetery and Memorialveterans of theMexican–American WarAmerican Civil WarWorld War IWorld War II19141982 (with ABMC)5,450DetailsEpinal American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19441956 (with ABMC)5,255424DetailsFlanders Field American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I193736843DetailsFlorence American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19604,4021,409DetailsHenri-Chapelle American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19607,992450DetailsLafayette Escadrille Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I1928 2017 (with ABMC)515DetailsLorraine American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II196010,489444DetailsLuxembourg American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19605,076371DetailsManila American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II196017,20136,285DetailsMeuse-Argonne American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I193714,246954DetailsMexico City National CemeteryMexican–American War1851813750DetailsNetherlands American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19608,3011,722DetailsNormandy American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19569,3871,557DetailsNorth Africa American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19602,8413,724DetailsOise-Aisne American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I19376,012241DetailsRhone American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II1956860294DetailsSicily-Rome American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War II19567,8613,095DetailsSomme American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I19371,844333DetailsSt. Mihiel American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I19374,153284DetailsSuresnes American Cemetery and MemorialWorld War I19371,565974Details
Monuments of the ABMC Monument Location CountryDedicationBattleWeb Spanish–American WarSantiago Surrender TreeSantiago de CubaSite of the negotiation of the Spanish Gen. José Toral's surrender of Santiago de Cuba on July 13, 1898Siege of SantiagoDetailsWorld War IAudenarde American MonumentOudenaarde37th and 91st DivisionsOctober–November 1918DetailsBelleau Wood American MonumentBelleau5th and 6th Marine RegimentsBattle of Belleau WoodDetailsBellicourt American MonumentSt. Quentin27th and 30th DivisionsBattle of St. Quentin CanalDetailsCantigny American MonumentMontdidier28th Regiment of the First ArmyBattle of CantignyDetailsChâteau-Thierry American MonumentChâteau-ThierryU.S. and French soldiersAisne-Marne Offensive and Oise-Aisne OffensiveDetailsChaumont AEF Headquarters MarkerChaumontAmerican Expeditionary Forces led by General PershingHeadquarters of the AEF, September 1, 1917, to July 11, 1919DetailsKemmel American MonumentYpres27th and 30th Divisions of the II CorpsYpres-Lys OffensiveAugust 18 to September 4, 1918DetailsMeuse-Argonne American MemorialVerdunFirst Army and Second ArmyMeuse-Argonne OffensiveSeptember 26, 1918, to November 11, 1918DetailsMontsec American MonumentSaint-MihielFirst ArmySecond ArmySeptember 12–16, 1918November 9–11DetailsNaval Monument at BrestBrestthe naval forces of the United States and France during World War IHeadquarters of the United States and French naviesDetailsNaval Monument at GibraltarStraits of GibraltarU.S. Navy and British Royal Navy for major victoriesAugust 1917–November 11, 1918DetailsSommepy American MonumentSainte-Menehould70,000 troops who drove the German army back north of the Aisne River:42nd Division369th, 371st, and 372nd Infantry Regiments2nd and 36th Divisions36th Division July 15–18, 1918September 26-October 8September 29-October 28October 11–October 27DetailsSouilly American Headquarters MarkerSouillyMarking the headquarters of the First Army during the last few months of the warMeuse-Argonne OffensiveDetailsTours American MonumentTours24,000 civilians of the Services of Supply and 645,000 soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces*Constructed almost 1,000 miles of railway tracks; Assembled more than 1,500 locomotives and 18,000 rail cars; Managed hospitals with a capacity of 192,844 beds.DetailsWorld War IIBattle of the Bulge MonumentBastogneU.S. soldiers wounded or killed in the Battle of the BulgeBattle of the BulgeDetailsCabanatuan American MemorialCabanatuanU.S. and Filipino victims of the Bataan Death March and Cabanatuan internment campsDetailsEast Coast Memorial for the MissingNew York City4,611 U.S. sailors and service members lost in the Atlantic Ocean during the warBattle of the AtlanticDetailsGuadalcanal American MemorialGuadalcanalU.S. soldiers and allies who died in the Battle of GuadalcanalGuadalcanal campaignDetailsHonolulu MemorialHonolulu, HawaiiDedicated to the 18,096 U.S. World War II soldiers missing from the Pacific (excluding those from the southwest Pacific), 8,200 missing from the Korean War, and 2,504 from the Vietnam WarDetailsPointe du Hoc Ranger MonumentSaint-Laurent-sur-MerSecond Ranger Battalion members who on June 6, 1944, scaled the cliff of Pointe du Hoc and seized German artillery that could have fired on the U.S. troops landing at Omaha and Utah beaches.D-DayDetailsPapua American MarkerPapuaU.S. soldiers who fought in Southwest Pacific theatreSouth West Pacific theatre of World War IIDetailsSaipan American MemorialSaipanU.S. marines and soldiers (24,000) and Chamorro who died during the liberation of the Mariana Islands during World War IIMariana and Palau Islands campaignDetailsUtah Beach American MonumentSte-Marie-du-MontVII Corps members who liberated the Cotentin PeninsulaBattle of CherbourgDetailsWest Coast Memorial to the MissingSan Francisco417 U.S. sailors and service members lost in the Pacific Ocean theaterPacific Ocean theater of World War IIDetailsWestern Naval Task Force MarkerCasablancaU.S. Western Task Force soldiers who made the first transoceanic amphibious operationOperation TorchDetailsKorean WarUnited Nations Memorial CemeteryBusanU.S. service members who fought in the Korean WarKorean WarDetails
See also American War Memorials Overseas National Register of Historic Places
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 CommissionÖsterreich betreut Kriegsgräberstätten. In: Stimme & Weg, 2/2011, p. 24.) France – Ministère de la DéfenseMinistère de la Défense, SGA Sépultures de guerre (File of French soldiers killed in action) Germany – German War Graves Commission Netherlands – Oorlogsgravenstichting (Dutch Wikipedia) Russia – Association of War Memorials United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa – Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)
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 11 America's overseas military cemeteries in eight countries.
Bibliography Selected photos available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection