The
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies
152 acres on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from
the east, south and west. It contains the largest number of
graves of our military dead of World War II, a total of 17,202,
most of whom lost their lives in operations in New Guinea and
the Philippines. The headstones are aligned in 11 plots forming
a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety
of tropical trees and shrubbery.
The
chapel, a white masonry building enriched with sculpture and
mosaic, stands near the center of the cemetery. In front of
it on a wide terrace are two large hemicycles. Twenty-five mosaic
maps recall the achievements of the American armed forces in
the Pacific, China, India and Burma. On rectangular Trani limestone
piers within the hemicycles are inscribed the Tablets of the
Missing containing 36,285 names.
Rosettes
mark the names of those since recovered and identified. Carved
in the floors are the seals of the American states and its territories.
From the memorial and other points within the cemetery there
are impressive views over the lowlands to Laguna de Bay and
towards the distant mountains.
The
cemetery is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except
December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays.
When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on
duty in the Visitor Building to answer questions and escort
relatives to grave and memorial sites.
Location
Manila American Cemetery is located in the Global City, Taguig,
Metro Manila, within the boundaries of the former Fort William
McKinley. It can be reached most easily from the city by taxi
or automobile via Epifano de los Santos Ave. (EDSA) to McKinley
Road, then to McKinley Parkway inside the Global City. The Nichols
Field Road is the easiest access from Manila International Airport
to the cemetery.
