The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

cemetery in Belleau, Northern France. It is located at the foot of the hill where the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisi ...

was fought, with many American fatalities. The cemetery also contains burials from the Battle of Château-Thierry, later that summer. The site is maintained by the

American Battle Monuments Commission 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. ...

, and its dedication ceremony was held on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

, May 30, 1937. Among those buried there are

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient

Weedon Osborne Weedon Edward Osborne (November 13, 1892 – June 6, 1918) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War I. He is one of only three dental officers ...

. The grounds include both the

Château-Thierry American Monument The Château-Thierry American Monument is a World War I memorial, dedicated in 1937, located near Château-Thierry, Aisne, France. Architecturally it is a notable example of Stripped Classicism. Situation The memorial is situated upon Hill 204' ...

and a monument to US Marines.

Cemetery

The cemetery itself is laid out in the form of the capital letter T, with the Memorial Chapel crowning the T-shape on a small hill to south, the cross-bars making up the two burial plots and the pathway leading into the cemetery making up the stem of the letter-shape. Each of the two burial plots (Plot A and Plot B) contain 13 rows of headstones, which consist of either

Stars of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

Latin crosses A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a m ...

. There are 2,289 burials in the cemetery, 250 of which contain unknown remains.

Memorial Chapel

The Memorial Chapel is built over the site of front-line battle trenches dug in defense of Belleau Wood. When entering the Memorial Chapel, one can see on the wall to the right a small hole that was made by a passing German

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

. Looking above the inside entrance door, one will see the following inscription: The names of 1,060 soldiers

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

are inscribed on the Chapel's walls.

Notable burials

* US Navy Lt. (j.g.) Weedon E. Osborne (1892–1918), recipient of the

Walking in footsteps of WWI Marines
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Gallery

File:Entrance gate at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Belleau, France, 1923 (21437641814).jpg, Entrance gate, 1923 File:93rd anniversary Battle of BelleauWood.jpg, U.S. Marines and French soldiers during the 93rd anniversary service of the Battle for Belleau Wood in 2011. File:Cimetière américain du bois Belleau 4.jpg

References

External links

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
American Battle Monuments Commission
Cemetery booklet
* * {{Authority control World War I memorials in France World War I cemeteries in France American Battle Monuments Commission Ralph Adams Cram buildings