American Battle Monuments Commission

10/10/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2024 03:22

St. Mihiel American Cemetery to invite visitors to lay flowers on American service members’ graves on “All Saints Day”

On Nov. 1, St. Mihiel American Cemetery welcome visitors who wish to adorn a service member's headstone with flowers for All Saints Day.

Traditionally, French families maintain and flower the graves of their loved ones each year on November 1.

St. Mihiel American Cemetery invites visitors to do the same and mark a grave with flowers to honor the fallen. Visitors will get to learn about the site and the story of the individual they will pay their respects to.

"We started hosting All Saints Day at St. Mihiel American Cemetery in 2023 with the desire to build a relationship between our local community and the U.S. soldiers and civilians honored here," said Felicia Bories, St. Mihiel American Cemetery's Interpretive Guide. "We wanted to renew this initiative this year as it is a unique way to combine both a local tradition and ABMC's mission to honor and remember the brave U.S. military who died more than a century ago for our freedom."

St. Mihiel American Cemeterycontains the graves of more than 4,100 of U.S. military dead. Approximately 300 additional names are inscribed on the Wall of the Missing in the memorial, commemorating the service members who werenot recovered. The majority of those honored and memorialized there perished in the offensive that resulted in the reduction of the St. Mihiel salientthat threatened Paris in mid-September 1918, during World War I.

Please note that registration is required.

To register and for more information, please contact our staff at [email protected]or +33 (0)3 83 80 01 04.