The world has seen the creation of dozens if not hundreds of war memorials following the two world wars, and many of these are dedicated to certain nations in particular. Among this type are those which honor fallen Americans from both wars, and the American Battle Monuments Commission has been doing their part ever since their creation to help in the upkeep of war memorials dedicated to fallen American soldiers.
It has not been long since Memorial Day, an entire holiday dedicated to the remembrance of American soldiers who gave their lives for the pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as well as other freedoms believed to be inalienable. All over the world, war memorials to these men are in no short supply. This is partly due to the large number of deaths suffered by American soldiers during the two world wars, the combined total of which is in the hundreds of thousands. Most of these found their way into cemeteries specifically created for them.
It was at these cemeteries, both in America and overseas, that the American Battle Monuments Commission hosted numerous international remembrance ceremonies. The secretary of the Commission, in a video release regarding the war memorials, quoted an old war slogan: “All gave some, some gave all.” These Memorial Day ceremonies were for those who gave all when they sacrificed their own lives for a greater cause.
The creation of the American Battle Monuments Commission served the singular purpose of dealing with whether a soldier’s body was to be brought home or kept abroad. This decision was generally left up to the families. Part of the reason for the proliferation of so many international war memorials is that there are so many dead it is nearly impossible to deal with them all on an individual basis, no matter how many organizations are created to try and handle the cause, the WKRN TV Nashville News reports.
War memorials and the commemoration ceremonies they host are an important part of today’s culture, for they allow the public of today to learn and remember the sacrifices of all who came before them. Some believe that many of the alliances which exist today would not exist in the same capacity that they do were it not for the relationships built between nations during the two world wars. Whether or not this is true, the numerous international war memorials which stand to this day serve as a reminder that every nation is built on the foundation of human sacrifice.