An American Memorial Day at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery

 What a memorable day for us at the beautiful Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial! The trip was only an hour from Rome to the seaside city of Nettuno.

The cemetery grounds are massive (77 acres) and immaculately landscaped and manicured. There are fountains, flower gardens, Italian cypress trees and Roman pine trees and.....

....THOUSANDS of white marble headstones to remember these 7,845 Americans who gave their lives on Italian soil during World War II. (The total number of American casualties in Italy is 119,279). The few pictures we post here really don't do justice to the impressive tribute paid to these men and women in this amazing cemetery. 

There are 25 sets of brothers, 17 women, 2 Medal of Honor recipients interred here. In the modern Visitor Center we watched a video presentation that gave an overview of the battles that took place in Italy and also learned some personal stories of individuals who died in the fighting. We were reaching for our tissues as we left the center and headed towards the Memorial building!

In the chapel we were startled at the 3,095 names engraved on the walls from floor to ceiling in memory of those Americans who are missing in action. Next to only a very few of the names is a small metal emblem indicating that their bodies have since been found. 

On the domed ceiling of the chapel is a very impressive large sculpture representing the planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the same positions they occupied at 0200 hours on January 22, 1944. This is the historic moment when the first American and British troops landed on the beaches of Anzio. The result of this campaign was to push the Nazi forces out of Italy and to weaken their stronghold on Europe. 

In the courtyard of the Memorial building, between the chapel and the Map Room, stands a tender bronze sculpture. It is titled "Brothers in Arms" and represents the partnership between the U.S. Army soldiers and U.S. Navy sailors. 

Their teamwork was essential to the success of the three amphibious assaults on Italy's beaches during World War II.

We left the cemetery with a renewed appreciation for what took place in Italy during World War II and the massive cost of lives that freedom requires.  Memorial Day is the perfect time to honor and remember them!!