Video

Suresnes American Cemetery

This World War I cemetery in France contains the graves of nearly 1,600 war dead and nearly 1,000 names on the Walls of the Missing.

Video Transcript: 

Suresnes American Cemetery sits on a hillside on the western edge of Paris within view of the Eiffel Tower.
More than 1,500 American servicemen and women are buried here.
Many of them died in American military hospitals in France during World War I.
Twin sisters Dorothy and Gladys Cromwell, nurses in the war, lie side by side.
Both received the French Croix de Guerre for valor.
The Suresnes memorial is a masterpiece of commemorative architecture.
Inside is a chapel with pillars of polished marble.
The mosaic depicts an angel of victory.
She bears a palm branch for those who have fallen in battle.
Below, a golden cross and a Star of David capture the sunlight.
Bronze plaques display the names of nearly a thousand more Americans – most of them lost or buried at sea.
Open walkways in each direction lead to rooms commemorating each of the two world wars.
Each room contains a pure-white marble figure symbolizing the act of remembrance.
A separate plot holds the remains of World War II Unknowns.
This magnificent cemetery commemorates American service and sacrifice in both world wars – now and forever.