American Overseas Memorial Day Association - Belgium

The American Overseas Memorial Day Association (AOMDA) ensures that we will never forget the sacrifice of the 14,000 Americans who lie buried in the three American military cemeteries in Belgium. In conjunction with the United States Embassy in Belgium and the American Battle Monuments Commission in Washington DC, AOMDA conducts Memorial Day Ceremonies at each cemetery to honor the Americans who gave their lives so that Europe may be free.

AOMDA’s Memorial Day ceremonies are unique events as Americans and Belgians gather to honor the brave servicemen and women who lie buried far away from home. Veterans, resistance survivors, senior military officers, diplomats, government officials and other distinguished guests offer testimonials and prayers in honor of the dead. American and Belgian military units salute the fallen with military honors. Veterans offer poignant witness to the sacrifices made. One of the most dramatic events during the annual ceremonies is the "Missing Man" low-level fly-by formation performed by four fighters from the U.S. Air Force. It is no wonder that many Belgian and American families bring their children to these solemn and dramatic ceremonies to teach them the true meaning of freedom and its cost in human life.

This 90-acre Word War II cemetery contains the graves of 5,328 Americans, many of whom died in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944-1945. Because the cemetery served as a central identification point during and immediately after the war, it also contains the graves of soldiers and aircrew killed throughout the Allied drive through Belgium, France and Germany.

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This 57-acre World War II cemetery contains the graves of 7,992 Americans. About one-third of those buried died in the campaign for the Hürtgen Forest in November and December of 1944. Another one-third perished in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945. The remaining one-third are soldiers killed in the advance into Germany in 1945 and aviators killed throughout the war.

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Click here for the program of the ceremony

This six-acre World War I battlefield cemetery is the final resting place of 368 Americans killed in October and November of 1918 in the final offensive of the war. This Memorial Day Ceremony is unique in featuring the school children of Waregem who sing the American Star Spangled Banner, a tradition that began in 1923.

Click here for directions to the cemetery
Click here for the program of the ceremony