The
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig City in Metro Manila,
Philippines. The cemetery, 152 acres (62 ha) or 615,000 square metres in area, is located on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. With a total of 17,206 graves, it is the largest cemetery in the Pacific for U.S. personnel killed during
World War II, and also holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations.
Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New
Guinea, or during the Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) or the Allied recapture of the islands. The headstones are made of marble which are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.
The Memorial is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. It is the largest site administered by the Commission in the number of graves and of those Missing who names are recorded on the walls of the memorial. The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except December 25 and January 1.
General layout
The entrance to the cemetery is at the far (north) side of the large grassed circle just beyond the military sentinel's post which is at the junction of the McKinley and Nichols Field Roads. Immediately beyond the gate is the plaza with its circular fountain; at the right is the Visitors' Building. Stretching from the plaza to the memorial is the central mall, which is lined with mahogany trees (Swietenia Macrophylla). Circular roads leading eastward and westward through the graves area join the straight roads along the edges of the mall. To the east of, and lower than, the graves area are the service area, deep wells and reservoirs. A purification system provides potable water within the cemetery.
The memorial
The memorial is faced with Travertine limestone quarried near Tivoli, a few miles east of Rome,
Italy. It consists of the tower containing the small devotional chapel, and the two extensive hemicycles to its front which embrace the Memorial court. The principal entrance to the memorial area is by the monumental staircase at the south end of the mall. At the top of these steps the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of the Philippines has been carved into the paving; this is the seal which was authorized for use during World War II and until the Republic had been established.
To the right and left stretch the hemicycles; on the end facade of each is the dedicatory inscription:
IN PROUD REMEMBRANCE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF HER SONS AND IN HUMBLE TRIBUTE TO THEIR SACRIFICES THIS MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED BY THE
United States OF AMERICA 1941-1945
