Manila American Cemetery

Manila American Cemetery is located in the capital city of the Philippines. It is the largest of all American overseas military cemeteries, occupying over 150 acres on a prominent plateau with a breathtaking view of the Manila skyline. Here rest more than 17,000 American servicemen and women. Most lost their lives in the Philippines and New Guinea during World War II, but over a dozen campaigns across the Pacific are represented here. Among the war dead are twenty-nine Medal of Honor recipients. In twenty instances, two brothers lie side by side. Over 500 Philippine Scouts, who served with their American comrades in the Philippines, are buried here. A visitors’ center, almost entirely enclosed by glass, is located near the Memorial Court. The exhibit tells the story of the brutal combat and conditions experienced in the vast Pacific Theater. The chapel stands at the center of the burial grounds. On the face of the chapel, a large sculpture of St. George battles the dragon. Inside, a stunning blue-glass mosaic behind the altar depicts a Madonna offering flowers to the honored dead. In four map rooms, 25 mosaic maps describe campaigns in the Southwest Pacific and China, Burma, India Theaters. On the wide terrace, a limestone hemisphere contains an astonishing 36,000 names of those whose bodies were not found. The Manila American Cemetery tells an epic story of sacrifice and valor in the service of liberty.