{"id":187177,"date":"2024-05-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=187177"},"modified":"2024-05-27T15:59:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T15:59:53","slug":"epinal-american-cemetery-honors-legacy-of-fallen-service-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=187177","title":{"rendered":"Epinal American Cemetery Honors Legacy of Fallen Service Members"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command, speaks with Memorial Day Ceremony attendees, May 26, at the Epinal American Cemetery in France. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of two permanent American cemeteries in the south of France. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n M. Patrick Nardin, mayor of Epinal, and Mme. Val\u00e9rie Michel-Moreaux represent the state of Vosges and lay a wreath during the Epinal American Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony in Epinal, France, May 26, 2024. This year is the 80th anniversary of World War II and the 75th anniversary of NATO. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command (7ATC), honors a fallen soldier with a 7ATC coin, at the Epinal American Cemetery in France May 26, 2024. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of two permanent American cemeteries in the south of France. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n Color guards from U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa \/ U.S. Sixth Fleet participate in the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Epinal American Cemetery in France May 26, 2024. Epinal American Cemetery is the final resting place of 5,255 of the nearly 70,000 American service members laid to rest in American Battle Monuments Commission locations in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n A wreath lays on behalf of U.S. Forces Europe during the Memorial Day Ceremony, May 26, at the Epinal American Cemetery in France. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of two permanent American cemeteries in the south of France. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command, lays a wreath during the Epinal American Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony in Epinal, France, May 26, 2024. This year is the 80th anniversary of World War II and the 75th anniversary of NATO. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command, takes a photo with the Kintz family who came to honor their grandfather, Pfc. Roland Lavoie, at the Epinal American Cemetery in France May 26, 2024. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of two permanent American cemeteries in the south of France. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command, takes a photo with Memorial Day Ceremony attendees, May 26, at the Epinal American Cemetery in France. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of two permanent American cemeteries in the south of France. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n French military members lay a wreath during the Epinal American Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony in Epinal, France, May 26, 2024. This year is the 80th anniversary of World War II and the 75th anniversary of NATO. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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\n French color guards participate in the Epinal American Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony in Epinal, France May 26, 2024. Epinal American Cemetery is the final resting place of 5,255 of the nearly 70,000 American service members laid to rest in American Battle Monuments Commission locations in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Thomas Dixon)
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EPINAL, France \u2013 The U.S. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of two permanent American cemeteries in the south of France.<\/p>\n

On May 26, 2024, the historic Seventh Army patch was again present in Epinal for the Memorial Day Ceremony at the American Battle Monuments Commission site.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe patch I wear today is the same patch as the Soldiers who marched these fields back in 1944,\u201d said Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command. \u201cThe men and women of 7th Army are proud of our history. We\u2019re honored of the legacy of the heroes who came before us.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmericans who gave their lives in defense of democracy and the free world, the western world, as we know it,\u201d he said. \u201cAmericans who gave their last full measure of devotion for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the nearly 70,000 American service members buried in American Battle Monuments Commission locations in Europe, 5,255 are buried at Epinal American Cemetery.<\/p>\n

To the crowd of predominantly French citizens, overflowing the chairs, sitting on steps, leaning against walls, gathering on paths and standing before towering hedges of blossoming flowers, Carpenter thanked them for their continuous devotion to honoring the memory of fallen Americans in France.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour presence here on these hallowed grounds is a testament to the enduring strength of the U.S. and French relationship,\u201d he said. \u201cDespite France\u2019s own loses and the trauma of two World Wars, the French people are committed to preserving the legacy of the fallen American service members on their soil. As an American citizen \u2013 not as a general officer in the U.S. Army or the commanding general of 7th Army – I just want to say that we\u2019re grateful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to share this field with all of you, to be amongst all of you to pay tribute to these great service members here today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amongst the French elected officials representing local towns, regions and the nation; French troop, cadet and civilian emergency response formations including the D\u00e9l\u00e9gation Militaire D\u00e9partementale des Vosges (DMD-88); French veteran, patriotic and special interest clubs and organizations like the Porte Drapeaux; a few other languages and accents could be heard. Ages varied. Children sat alongside their elders in wheelchairs. Yet all remained focused on the field before them, U.S. and French flags fluttering alongside each other, to honor the sacrifices of the U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy decades ago.<\/p>\n

Yvonne Gonzales, U.S. Consul General \u2013 Strasbourg, spoke of Allied armies joining together to defend shared values of freedom and democracy, and of Americans who would leave their native soil to fight against tyranny alongside Allies.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we gather on this day, we recall those who did not return after the guns fell silent,\u201d she said. \u201cAmericans, in all their diversity, made their contributions to the war. Now they rest together. These sons and daughters of the U.S. are now sons and daughters of France as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Epinal, there are 14 pairs of brothers buried side-by-side; 23 Native Americans; 138 African Americans; 13 members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; six bomber crews who served together \u2013 buried together; four Medal of Honor recipients; four women, and two Tuskegee Airmen. Thousands of stories and memories.<\/p>\n

James Williamson, superintendent of Epinal American Cemetery, said that the Memorial Day ceremony is held annually, \u201cto pay solemn tribute to the men and women who rest here, in the land they fought to liberate. We honor their unspoken pledges and their unknown words; we remember their sacrifice and we will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notable honorees attending the ceremony included the family of Pfc. Roland Lavoie, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, originally from Rhode Island, who was killed in action Nov. 5, 1944; and a former French Resistance member Stefan Lewandowski, who was with U.S. Forces at the liberation of Pont-\u00e0-Mousson and was later captured and sent to Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria.<\/p>\n

Additional U.S. Department of Defense representation at the ceremony included Chaplain (Maj.) Brad Beier, U.S. Army Europe and Africa; 2nd Lt. Anna Kemper, U.S. Air Force; and a four-person color guard from U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa \/ U.S. Sixth Fleet.<\/p>\n

With 2024 being the 80th anniversary of World War II and the 75th anniversary of NATO, both Gonzales and Carpenter highlighted the importance of carrying the legacy of these fallen into current times and conflicts.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir legacy continues our alliance in defending democracy. Our commitment to this partnership remains unassailable. Today, the U.S. and France stand united,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cTogether we continue to uphold the vales of liberty and justice, confronting tyranny and defending the sovereignty of nations. Let us pause for a moment to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunity that we have here today is not different than the generations that came before us,\u201d Carpenter said. \u201cIt is an opportunity to make an imprint on the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for what to continue to do, to honor these 5,255 service members who passed in defense of what we hold very dear but probably take for granted \u2013 our freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 10 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Brig. Gen. Steven P. Carpenter, commander, 7th Army Training Command, speaks with Memorial Day Ceremony attendees, May 26, at the Epinal American Cemetery in France. Seventh Army liberated Epinal on Sept. 23, 1944, and Seventh Army established Epinal American Cemetery in October 1944 as one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187179,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-187177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=187177"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187190,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187177\/revisions\/187190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/187179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=187177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=187177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=187177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}