7 American Battle Monuments Commission sites participate in the European Heritage Days 2024

Between Sept. 20-29, seven American Battle Monuments Commission’s cemeteries are featured in a series of events dedicated to highlighting European cultural heritage and ensuring citizens are aware of the historic significance of these sites. This year’s theme is “the heritage of routes, networks, and connections.” 

This year, the European Heritage Days will be held at the following ABMC sites: Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, Cambridge American Cemetery, Florence American Cemetery, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Montfaucon American Monument, Normandy American Cemetery and St. Mihiel American Cemetery. 

Participating sites will offer free activities including tours and workshops during regular operating hours for the public to learn more about ABMC, its collections, the two World Wars, the history of the sites, as well as stories of service men and women buried or memorialized within their grounds. Registration is required for most of the events. 

The program at ABMC sites is as follows:  

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery 

Visitors are invited to discover the symbols of Aisne-Marne. Guided tours will highlight the symbolism present in the cemetery. They will also include flag folding, headstone sanding and explanations given by the guides. 

• Sept. 21, 2024, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. CET.
• Sept. 22, 2024, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. CET. 

Registration via phone +33 (0)3 64 03 99 96 or e-mail chateauthierry@abmc.gov. 

Cambridge American Cemetery 

Guided tours will be offered in partnership with Open Cambridge, by the University of Cambridge. This yearly event aims at celebrating the community, heritage and history of Cambridge and its surrounding area.  

The year’s tours, “a spider's web of airfields,” will focus on the network of airfields to tell the stories of the Americans who served at them, including the Black Americans’ story of the Construction Engineers and interconnected stories of American Red Cross. 

Tours available:  

• Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. BST.

• Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. BST.

• Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. BST. 

• Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. BST.

Twenty people per tour. Registration needed through: opencambridge@admin.cam.ac.uk. 

Florence American Cemetery 

Visitors are invited to explore and learn more about the architecture and landscape design as well as discover the paths and connections to both the United States and Italy, from the Lasa marble in the Field of Honor to the Oriental plane and Cypress trees, to the mosaics in the Chapel and at the Memorial. Guided tours will be given at 10 a.m. each day. 

• Sept. 28, 2024, 10 a.m. CET.

• Sept. 29, 2024, 10 a.m. CET. 

Tours will be given in English, Italian and French. Register by emailing florence@abmc.gov. 

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery 

Visitors will be invited to join three different guided tours: “Fighting in Meuse” to discover selected stories inside the visitor center; “The Path of the Fifth Division,” focusing on soldiers of the division and its commemorative monuments; and “Building Montfaucon Monument,” highlighting the creation of the ABMC monument. 

Tours available:    

• “Fighting in Meuse”:   

  • Sept. 21, 2024, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. CET.

  • Sept. 22, 2024, 2 p.m. CET.

• “The Path of the Fifth Division": 

  • Sept. 21-22, 2024, 3 p.m. CET. 

• “Building Montfaucon Monument":  

  • Sept. 21-22, 2024, 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. CET.

Thirty people maximum per tour. Registration via phone 03 29 85 14 18 or email meuse-argonne@abmc.gov.

Normandy American Cemetery 

This year, the visitors are invited to discover the history of the site through workshops and tours. Along this route they will be invited to discover historical pictures and the site history, learn about stone engraving, and experience unusual connections. 

Tours available: 

• Workshop “Come & retrace the history of the Normandy American Cemetery!” 

  • Sept. 20-22, in French at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and in English at 3:30 p.m. CET. 

• Daily tours with a focus on the 2024 theme: 

  • In French at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and in English at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. CET. 

No registration needed. For more information, contact NormandyVisits@abmc.gov.   

St. Mihiel American Cemetery 

Visitors will discover American objects from the Great War in partnership with Musée La Baïonnette to provide a guided tour on soldiers from the Second and Fifth divisions. These divisions both have several monuments dedicated to them in the area.  

The site is also working with the local schools to dedicate Sept. 20, 2024, to them. The staff will present the different jobs at the cemetery through workshops.  

• Tour the cemetery: 

  • Sept. 21-22, 2024, 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. CET.

• Tour Montsec Monument: 

  • Sept-21-22, 2024, 11 a.m. CET.

Thirty people maximum per tour. Registration via phone 03 83 80 01 04 or email saint-mihiel@abmc.gov.

The European Heritage Days events are another opportunity for us to show our sites to visitors and honor the fallen buried or memorialized there. It echoes Gen. John J. Pershing’s promise that ‘time will not dim the glory of their deeds,’ and ensures their stories are still told and remembered today but also passed on to future generations.