Memorial Day 2024 at Netherlands American Cemetery

Rain or Shine, Netherlands American Cemetery will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Sunday, May 26, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. Attendance is free and open to the public, please arrive and take your places 20 minutes before the start. The event is mainly standing room. Democrats Abroad Netherlands lays a wreath in the court of honor every year. Pictured is our Chair laying our wreath at a prior ceremony.

8,288 American soldiers who died in World War II are buried there, and 1,722 soldiers missing in action are honored at this vast cemetery of 65 acres.

Unique to the cemetery is the connection with the Dutch people. Since 1945 members of the local community have adopted the grave sites of our fallen. They bring flowers to the cemetery and research the life of the service member as a way to honor their sacrifice. Today, the Foundation for Adopting Graves at the American Cemetery Margraten manages this program. With a similar intention the Foundation United Adopters American War Graves created a program known as The Faces of Margraten. This group collects photos of our fallen, and sponsors a bi-annual event at the cemetery during Dutch Memorial Day weekend. More than 3,000 photos are on display that weekend next to headstones and the Walls of the Missing, bringing visitors face-to-face with their liberators.

Representatives of His Majesty the King, the Dutch National & Municipal Givernments, Reprentatives of the Allied Forces, Germany, NATO, and other civic organisations lay a wreath. A flyover will happen weather permitting.

The U.S. Ambassador, the Honorable Shefali Razdan Duggal will also speak among others. Veterans who fought in WWII will be present.

Although this is not a Democrats Abroad event, we think it's important to highlight this and encourageour member's to attend if able.

 

WHEN

Sunday, May 26, 2024 at 03:00 PM Amsterdam Time

WHERE

Netherlands American Cemetery
Amerikaanse Begraafplaats 1
Margraten 6269 NA
Netherlands
Google map and directions

CONTACT

Tré Shawn Griffin-Noordermeer