As secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, I am reminded every day of the sacrifices made by our men and women who served in World Wars I and II.
Experiencing hellish conditions and physical and emotional trauma, more than 20 million Americans served in uniform during these two epic wars. More than 500,000 paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, giving their lives in the fight for freedom. In a mere instant, the release of a single sniper bullet or the dropping of one bomb would change a family forever. Wives became widows. Parents outlived their sons. Children grew up with one parent instead of two. To this day, these losses continue to reverberate throughout families and communities.
At the Battle Monuments Commission, we manage our nation’s 25 overseas cemeteries and 26 memorials, where more than 200,000 Americans from the two world wars are buried or commemorated on our Walls of the Missing. One memorial especially close to my heart is the Honolulu Memorial, where we honor men and women from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War who are missing in action or lost or buried at sea.
While we cannot change the losses of the past, we work tirelessly to remember and honor these Americans. The most egregious error we could make as a nation is to forget the people — the fathers, wives, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters — who gave their lives in war. With confidence, I can say our commission staff around the world will ensure the memory and legacy of these Americans will never be forgotten. Through new and improved efforts, our staff is giving these men and women a voice that will be heard for decades and centuries to come.
Through the opening of new visitor centers, we tell the stories of those buried and memorialized at our sites through exhibits, videos and digital media. We explain the battles and campaigns in which they fought. But it’s not just about our physical sites. We know many Americans will never have the opportunity to visit one of our overseas cemeteries. That being the case, we’re bringing our mission to the American public, and to students and teachers.
Through a new partnership, we recently released our first, comprehensive, World War I education program. Developed by teachers for teachers, this free education resource teaches the Great War through the lens of Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, our largest World War I cemetery overseas. We’re currently working on a World War II in Northern Europe education program, which will tell the stories of Americans who fought in such battles as the Normandy Invasion, Operation Market Garden and the Strategic Air War. These resources will allow teachers to bring these pieces of American history to life in their classrooms.
For the American public, we're bringing the stories to you through our website and social media channels. On Sunday, more than 10,000 people will gather at the Netherlands American Cemetery for our annual Memorial Day ceremony. Among this group will be more than 50 members of the American World War II Orphans Network. These men and women, who lost a father in World War II, are returning to these hallowed grounds. Throughout the month, we've been telling some of their stories on our website, www.abmc.gov, and our staff will be sharing live coverage of the events through Facebook and Instagram. You can follow along throughout the weekend, seeing and feeling their experiences.
Through such concentrated efforts, I know we can uphold the memory of the more-than 200,000 Americans buried or memorialized overseas. But it’s not just our responsibility at the commission to honor these men and women. It’s the duty of every American to remember those who have gone before us in the fight to preserve freedom. Honoring fellow Americans who paid the ultimate price does not mean you agree with the politics or motivation for a war. It means you respect these men and women and the American ideals for which they died.
This Memorial Day weekend, I ask you to pause, if just for a few moments, and think about those buried overseas. Their loss is still felt every day. Too many Americans have paid the ultimate price for not just our country, but for the right of democracy to prevail over tyranny. At the American Battle Monuments Commission, we will continue to uphold the eternal words of Gen. John J. Pershing, our first chairman: “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”
Max Cleland is a former U.S. senator from Georgia.
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