Help to remember!

It is because of the sacrifices of people like those who have been buried in and memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten that we have been able to live in peace for more than 75 years. That is why we remember them. The The Faces of Margraten is a tribute to all of them. We put a face to their names by decorating their graves and the Walls of the Missing with their photos every two years. Help us to find their faces! Learn more on this page about how you can become a part.

Names without a face

So far, we have found the faces of over 8,500 soldiers. This means, on the other hand, that the faces of about 1,400 soldiers continue to be missing. Please join us on our quest for these faces. You can find a map here to find out which soldiers in your community do not yet have a photo. We will regularly update this list.

Where to start?

Any research starts with some basic information, including a soldier's name, his hometown, and the names of his relatives. This allows you to narrow your research down and gives you a good start. You might find more information on relatives in the white pages or in obituaries. Local newspapers and libraries are often willing to help or even have information in their archives. The same goes for local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts. Another place to start could be the veterans' association of a unit. For some basic information on a soldier, please visit their memorial page in the Fields of Honor - Database.

Iff you have a personal photo of any of the soldiers who have been either buried in or memorialized at the Margraten Cemetery, please let us know. Information will also be stored in the foundation's Fields of Honor - Database. In this database, information can be found about the soldiers who have been either buri ed in or memorialized on the American War Cemeteries in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.However, please only submit photos that are in your own possession or for which you have acquired permission to submit them to the project from the original source if you do not own the photo.

You can directly submit photos and other information by sending us an email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. If you prefer to send us a (copy of) a photo to us through regular mail, please use the address below. Please clearly state if the photo is the original copy. In that case, we will make sure to return the photo to you as soon as it has been scanned for our project.

Fields of Honor Foundation
Velperweg 47-514
6824 BG Arnhem
The Netherlands

If you are not sure whether you have a relative who has been buried in the Margraten Cemetery, you can search the burial listings for this cemetery, and others, on the website of the American Battle Monuments Commission: www.abmc.gov.

10,000 soldiers

On the American War Cemetery and Memorial Netherlands in Margraten, the Netherlands, over 10,000 American soldiers either have been buried or are memorialized on the Walls of The Missing. On these Walls of the Missing, one can find the names of 1,722 American soldiers whose bodies have not been recovered. The names of those whose bodies were recovered after ara marked by a rozet. In the cemetery 8,291 soldiers have been buried. In 40 cases two brothers have been buried together. Among those buried in the cemetery are also 4 women. Moreover, 6 soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military award, have been buried in Margraten. Major General Maurice C. Rose, commander of the 3rd Armored Division is the highest in rank. Willis A. Utecht was buried in the cemetery in September 1994, making him the last soldier to be buried there.

A list with the names of all American soldiers who have been buried in or are memorialized on the Margraten Cemetery can be found on the website of the American Battle Monuments Commission, the U.S. government agency that maintains all overseas U.S. Cemeteries, which can be reached at www.abmc.gov. More information and, in many cases, photos of the soldiers can also be found in the Fields of Honor - Database. We have selected the photos of some of them below. Click on their photos to read more about them in the Fields of Honor - Database. Are you still looking for a photo?

10,000 names, 10,000 faces: a selection

Pvt William E. Adair	Sgt Floyd M. Baldry	Sgt John K. Barry
2LT Sterling H. Book Jr.	Dorothy J. Burdge	S/Sgt Paul H. Clabaugh
T/5 Walter B. Harper	Pfc Thomas E. Hartmann Jr	Pfc Lowell J. Ingwerson
1LT William J. Johnston	S/Sgt Joseph F. Lajkowicz	Pfc Leo Lichten
T/5 Angelo P. Marcaletti	Pfc Henry W. Wolf	2LT Robert F. Morris
1LT Peter A. Pastras	Pfc William D. Potts	Pvt Peter J. Riso
1LT Don Smith	S/Sgt Robert O. Smith	T/5 George E. Tuck
Pfc Henry H. Wade

Sponsors

The Stichting Verenigde Adopanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven (Foundation United Adopters American War Graves) would like the following organizations that have committed themselves to The Faces of Margraten as our main sponsors. Of course, we would also like to express our thanks to all individuals who have donated to the project and, by doing so, have contributed to our efforts to give a face to our American liberators more than 70 years after the end of World War II.

A word of thanks is also due for our other sponsors:

• Timmerbedrijf André Koch
• Firma Cholly Elektrotechnisch Bureau
• Groepsaccommodatie Hoeve De Peul
• Dentist De Graaf in Ermelo

The foundation would also like to thank the following organizations and people for contributing to and supporting The Faces of Margraten tribute in a variety of ways:

• American Battle Monuments Commission
• Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States
• Stichting Adoptie Graven Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten
• American WWII Orphans Network
• Mieke Kirkels, author Van Alabama naar Margraten
• Robin van Hontem, Graphic and Product Design
• Brentjens Bouwproducten
• Bizzprint
• Van der Lee Staalbouw
• Netherlands America Institute Limburg
• Chriske Margraten
• Studio Buttons
• Hout Video
• Ziggo

Donate

We are grateful for the financial support of several organizations, which has enabled the Dutch non-profit Fields of Honor Foundation to set up this new project in 2015. After the first successful edition of The Faces of Margraten tribute in 2015 we have continued our quest for photos to give a face to even more soldiers. We ask for your support to be able to continue our work, all done by volunteers, in honoring these soldiers. By donating just 12.50 dollars to the project, for example, you enable us to buy one photo display and have a soldier's photo printed. Will you support us?

You can make a donation using your own creditcard or through PayPal, one of the world's safest payment methods. If you would like to donate, please choose the amount of your liking. We thank you for your support!