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Panoramic view of our honored dead
in Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, Fere-en-Tardenois, France. |
Over the past few years, my husband and I have gone to many American cemeteries abroad. Just recently while in Paris, we visited the
Suresnes American Cemetery on Mont-Valerien. Reachable on the Metro, this lovely cemetery overlooking the city and the Eiffel Tower is a peaceful panorama where our Doughboys, nurses, YMCA, Salvation Army and others lie in repose.
Of them:
- 1,543 lie beneath Latin crosses
- 22 lie beneath Stars of David
- Missing in Action number 974
- "Those Known Only to God", our unknown soldiers, number 6 from WWI and 24 from WWII.
The following pictures of those lying in repose are not from Suresnes, but from other cemeteries holding the remains of our forces of WWI in France. (I'll post those soon.)
Here are a few from other cemeteries in France, all who fought and died during the war that was supposed to be "the war to end all wars." Please note the diversity of religions, gender and ethnic origin. Even in 1917-1918, we were a diverse country in which people from all walks of life lived, trained, fought and died together.
May we continue to learn how to live together peacefully among ourselves, especially now in a period wherein vilification of The Other is rife in our nation.
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Esther Amundson, Army Nurse Corps,
WWI, Base Hospital 35, Minnesota |
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George C. Mondzecki, PVT.,
102 INF., 26 Division, Connecticut. |
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Howard Coller, PVT.,
Ambulance Company, 2nd Division, New York. |
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Raymond T. Reichard, PVT.,
39 INF, 4 Division, Pennsylvania. |
