ABMC commemorates the sacrifice of U.S. armed forces, and manages 26 overseas military cemeteries, and 30 memorials, monuments, and markers. The American Battle Monuments Commission, established by the Congress in 1923, is an agency of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.
2300 Clarendon Blvd
Arlington, VA
22201
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Following World War I, Congress recognized the need for federal control over the commemoration of American armed forces overseas. On March 4, 1923, President Warren Harding signed legislation that established the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and made the new agency responsible for the construction of monuments honoring the American Expeditionary Forces. Soon after, Congress directed ABMC to construct memorial chapels in the eight permanent military cemeteries in Europe, which were at the time maintained by the War Department. In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an Executive Order that shifted the responsibility for the management and maintenance of these hallowed grounds to ABMC.
Final dispositions of the remains of service personnel who died in World War I and World War II were carried out under the provisions of Public Law 389, 66th Congress and Public Law 368, 80th Congress, respectively. These laws entitled the next of kin to select permanent interment of a family member’s remains in an American military cemetery on foreign soil designed, constructed and maintained specifically to honor in perpetuity the dead of these wars. Alternatively, the next of kin could have the remains repatriated to the United States for interment in a national or private cemetery.
The disposition of remains was carried out by the War Department's Graves Registration Service under the Quartermaster General. From time to time ABMC receives requests from relatives asking that the instructions of the next of kin at the time of interment be disregarded. Those making such requests are informed that the decision made by the next of kin at the time of interment is final. After seeing the beauty and immaculate care of ABMC cemeteries, many of these same individuals later tell the ABMC they are pleased the remains have remained in these overseas shrines.
Today, ABMC administers, operates and maintains 26 permanent American burial grounds and 30 separate memorials, monuments and markers, on foreign soil. It also maintains three memorials in the United States. Today there are more than 139,000 American war dead interred in these cemeteries, of which 30,995 are from World War I commemorative cemeteries, 92,936 from World War II commemorative cemeteries, and 750 from the Mexican-American War. Additionally, more than 15,000 American veterans and others are interred in the Mexico City National Cemetery, Corozal American Cemetery and Clark Veterans Cemetery. More than 60,000 American servicemen and women who were missing in action, lost, or buried at sea during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War are memorialized by name on stone tablets in ABMC cemeteries and memorials.
