American Battle Monuments Commission
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The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is a small independent agency of the United States government. Established by Congress in 1923,[1] 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[1]
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. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Complete sortable list of ABMC cemeteries
[edit] Complete sortable list of ABMC monuments
[edit] 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.[3]
[edit] Chairmen of the ABMC
- Brigadier General John M. 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)
- General Merrill A. McPeak (2010-present)
[edit] 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
[edit] See also
- Register of Culturally Significant Property
- National Register of Historic Places
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- American War Memorials Overseas
- World War I memorials
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Intro". American Battle Monuments Commission. http://www.abmc.gov/commission/index.php. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ "History". American Battle Monuments Commission. http://www.abmc.gov/commission/history.php. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ "ABMC Commissioners". ABMC. http://www.abmc.gov/commission/commissioners.php. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- 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.
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
- 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
