The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) Normandy American Cemetery hosted a luminary event to mark the agency’s 100-year anniversary and honor the legacy of the service members buried or memorialized at the site.

On the evening of March 4, 2023, candles were placed on each of the cemetery’s more than 9,300 headstones to remember the fallen and missing commemorated at these hallowed grounds. U.S. and local French representatives attended.  

“As we enter our second century, ABMC wants to ensure we honor and remember the fallen, their actual stories, as well as maintain our sites at the highest standards so that ‘Time will not dim the glory of their deeds,’” said Scott Desjardins, Normandy American Cemetery superintendent.

ABMC is hosting numerous events throughout the year both in the U.S. and at its 26 cemeteries across the world to commemorate this historic milestone.

Created in 1923, ABMC’s mission remains the same after a century of duty: to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifices of America’s Armed Forces by serving as the guardian of our nation’s overseas cemeteries, memorials and monuments, and preserving the final resting places and honoring the missing of those who perished when they were called to defend freedom upon foreign shores.