Ardennes American Cemetery
This World War II cemetery in Belgium contains the graves of more than 5,300 war dead, and more than 460 names on the Walls of the Missing.
Ardennes American Cemetery lies 65 miles southeast of Brussels, Belgium, near the Ardennes Forest.
This is the final resting place for more than 5,300 Americans who fought and died during World War II.
Many of those who lie here were airmen of the U.S. Army Air Forces who perished in dangerous flights over Nazi-held Europe.
Major John L. Jerstad flew his burning B-24 bomber into an enemy oil refinery, earning the Medal of Honor.
The stone memorial building bears a massive American eagle on its façade.
The other side of the building displays the mosaic insignia of the major U.S. commands that fought in northwest Europe.
Granite tablets at the base of the memorial record the names of 463 Americans missing in action.
Inside the chapel, a golden angel hangs above a white marble altar.
Enormous marble wall maps line the chapel walls, showing Military Operations in Western Europe, supply of U.S. Forces in the European Theater, and the fierce fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.
For many years, Ardennes American Cemetery was the center for identifying remains of Americans lost in Europe during World War II – commemorating each one who died to protect freedom.