I am a fortunate person. For nearly 15 years I have been privileged to serve as a Commissioner of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC.) During that time, the agency was given the responsibility of finding a site, developing a design, raising the money and then building the National World War II Memorial. However, its primary mission has never changed–maintaining the overseas cemeteries for America’s war dead.
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| The North African American Cemetery near Tunis, Tunisia |
When an American visits one of these cemeteries, the most-visited being Normandy, their outlook on the world gains a new perspective. The row-on-row of Crosses and Stars of David are a testament to what America has invested in making the world a freer and better place. They are reminders that being the leader of the free world has required a costly investment in American lives. We can’t walk that back. Those lives are gone.
When I hear people talk about isolation or withdrawal from the world, I want to take them to these places. We have invested too much in blood (and treasure) to pull back into some kind of cocoon and pretend that what happens in the rest of the world doesn’t matter. Our current status as a vibrant democracy has come at a great price. Whether we like it or not, what happens in the rest of the world affects us.
Recently, I received a copy of a quarterly newsletter which is sent world-wide to ABMC employees who work in these cemeteries. Most of them are not American though they are cutting grass, cleaning headstones and maintaining these sacred grounds so important to Americans. The United States has entered into agreements in these foreign countries which guarantee, in perpetuity, our rights to these lands where our war dead are buried. We also depend upon their citizens to maintain these places to our highest standard.
We have invested too much to pull back into some kind of cocoon and pretend that what happens in the rest of the world doesn’t matter.
Though located in various countries, the mission of caring and supporting these cemeteries is common. The newsletter is printed in six languages: English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and Arabic. Did I say “Arabic?” Yes, one of our cemeteries, where 2,841 of our war dead are buried, is located in Tunisia. In our efforts to defeat Germany in the Second World War, we first had to defeat them in North Africa.
We have very dedicated employees working at the North African American Cemetery near Tunis. It is located on a historically important plot of land, right next to the ruins of ancient Carthage. A few years ago, during the “Arab Spring,” Americans, for their safety, were ordered out of Tunisia. During their absence, work and maintenance at the cemetery continued unabated by Tunisians. These employees, citizens of Tunisia and Muslim by faith, continued their daily work in mowing the grass, polishing the stones and providing security for the cemetery where our war dead are buried. They are proud of the work they do, and the high standard of care at the cemetery continued without interruption.
So if people preach to you that our country should abandon contact with the Arab world and with the Islamic community or with other foreign lands–please remind them that too many Americans lie buried in these places for us to pull out now. American cemeteries around the world remind us on this Memorial Day that American values of freedom and democracy are still real and worth fighting for. The grave stones, memorials and markers tell the story.
Rolland Kidder
Stow
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