6 photos: U.S. AFRICOM Photo
Photo 1 of 6: CARTHAGE, Tunisia - Flanked by members of a Tunisian honor guard, U.S. General William Ward delivers a Memorial Day speech May 31, 2010, at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in the ancient city of Carthage. The cemetery and memorial honors thousands of American military men and women who gave their lives in and around North Africa during World War II. (Photo by Vince Crawley, U.S. Africa Command)
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6 photos: U.S. AFRICOM Photo
Photo 2 of 6: CARTHAGE, Tunisia - A girl runs between the headstones following a Memorial Day observance May 31, 2010, at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial near Tunis. The site commemorates thousands of Americans who gave their lives in and around North Africa during World War II. (Pholto by Vince Crawley, U.S. Africa Command)
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6 photos: U.S. AFRICOM Photo
Photo 3 of 6: CARTHAGE, Tunisia - Ambassador Gordon Gray, U.S. ambassador to Tunisia, and General William Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, preside over a Memorial Day observance May 31, 2010, at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial near Tunis. More than 2,800 Americans from World War II are buried at the cemetery. (Photo by Vince Crawley, U.S. Africa Command)
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6 photos: U.S. AFRICOM Photo
Photo 4 of 6: CARTHAGE, Tunisia - Faed Hanzalleoui, an employee at the American military cemetery in Tunisia, joins other Tunisian workers in placing American flags on headstones for Memorial Day observances May 31, 2010. The North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial honors thousands of U.S. military men and women who gave their lives in and around North Africa during World War II. (Photo by Vince Crawley, U.S. Africa Command)
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6 photos: U.S. AFRICOM Photo
Photo 5 of 6: CARTHAGE, Tunisia - Members of a Tunisian military honor guard march into position during a Memorial Day ceremony May 31 2010, honoring American who gave their lives in Tunisia and across North Africa during World War II. The ceremony took place at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in the historic city of Carthage, near Tunis. (Photo by Vince Crawley, U.S. Africa Command)
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6 photos: U.S. AFRICOM Photo
Photo 6 of 6: CARTHAGE, Tunisia - Shortly after sunrise on Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, the North African sun illuminates some headstones while others remain shaded by trees lining the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial near Tunis. The cemetery is resting place for 2,841 Americans who died in and around North Africa in World War II. Another 3,724 names are inscribed on the memorials Wall of the Missing. (Photo by Vince Crawley, U.S. Africa Command)
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CARTHAGE, Tunisia - Tunisian and U.S. military personnel, diplomats and family members gathered May 31, 2010, to mark the solemn U.S. Memorial Day holiday at the North Africa American Cemetery near Tunis, with the U.S. military delegation led by General William "Kip" Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The final Monday in May each year is set aside in the United States as a day of remembrance for those who have given their lives in the U.S. armed forces.
The North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, on the edge of the historic city of Carthage, is resting place for 2,841 American men and women who lost their lives in World War II, primarily in the North Africa campaigns of late 1942 and early 1943. Another 3,724 names are inscribed on a commemorative wall for those missing in action. An American woman living in Tunisia, who is a veteran of World War II, each year pays to have roses placed at the grave markers for each of the 240 unknown Americans buried at the Carthage cemetery. Bouquets sent by families dotted the gravesites during the afternoon ceremony, and each headstone was marked by a small American flag fluttering in a strong North African wind.
Ambassador Gordon Gray, the U.S. ambassador to Tunisia , noted that American military people both past and present have sacrifice their lives "not to conquer but to liberate." Speaking to the U.S. and Tunisian audience, Gray said, "Today we pause to honor those who have paid so dearly with their lives, and to their families and friends whose lives are forever changed and to whom we owe such enormous debt."
The ceremony included a Tunisian and American honor guard, a U.S. Navy band, and a contingent of officers from U.S. Army Africa who had spent the previous several days visiting World War II battlefields.
"Those who are laid to rest here answered the call to duty and fought in the air, on land and at sea," said Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, who spoke at the ceremony and laid a wreath on behalf of all U.S. military men and women.
"They deployed to places they had only read about, or in some cases had never heard of at all," Ward said, "to protect American lives and to promote freedom around the globe."
Related story:
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=4502&lang=0
See also:
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=4500
The final Monday in May each year is set aside in the United States as a day of remembrance for those who have given their lives in the U.S. armed forces.
The North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, on the edge of the historic city of Carthage, is resting place for 2,841 American men and women who lost their lives in World War II, primarily in the North Africa campaigns of late 1942 and early 1943. Another 3,724 names are inscribed on a commemorative wall for those missing in action. An American woman living in Tunisia, who is a veteran of World War II, each year pays to have roses placed at the grave markers for each of the 240 unknown Americans buried at the Carthage cemetery. Bouquets sent by families dotted the gravesites during the afternoon ceremony, and each headstone was marked by a small American flag fluttering in a strong North African wind.
Ambassador Gordon Gray, the U.S. ambassador to Tunisia , noted that American military people both past and present have sacrifice their lives "not to conquer but to liberate." Speaking to the U.S. and Tunisian audience, Gray said, "Today we pause to honor those who have paid so dearly with their lives, and to their families and friends whose lives are forever changed and to whom we owe such enormous debt."
The ceremony included a Tunisian and American honor guard, a U.S. Navy band, and a contingent of officers from U.S. Army Africa who had spent the previous several days visiting World War II battlefields.
"Those who are laid to rest here answered the call to duty and fought in the air, on land and at sea," said Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, who spoke at the ceremony and laid a wreath on behalf of all U.S. military men and women.
"They deployed to places they had only read about, or in some cases had never heard of at all," Ward said, "to protect American lives and to promote freedom around the globe."
Related story:
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=4502&lang=0
See also:
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=4500