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.
