Allies honor fallen Americans at Saint Mihiel Memorial Day ceremony

THIAUCOURT-REGNIÉVILLE, France — U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Michael B. Lalor, commanding general of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command and deputy commanding general for sustainment, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, joined French officials, allied military leaders, veterans, and local community members during a Memorial Day ceremony honoring more than 4,100 American service members buried at Saint Mihiel American Cemetery, May 24, 2026.

Hosted by the American Battle Monuments Commission, the ceremony commemorated American Soldiers who fought and died during the 1918 Saint-Mihiel Offensive, the first major operation conducted by the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. The cemetery also memorializes 284 missing service members whose names are inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing.

The ceremony included remarks from American and French officials, a wreath-laying ceremony, the sounding of taps, and a moment of silence to honor those who died in service more than a century ago.

Chaplain Col. Eric Dean, command chaplain for the 21st TSC, opened the ceremony with an invocation reflecting on the enduring partnership between allied nations.

“We give thanks for the enduring bond between France and the United States, and all of our NATO partners and allies,” Dean said. “For nations standing together in times of trial, bearing one another’s burdens in the cause of liberty.”

Mike Knapp, chief of historical services for the American Battle Monuments Commission, said Memorial Day serves as a reminder that the freedoms enjoyed today came at an immense human cost.

“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding this July, we are reminded that America’s story has never been guaranteed,” Knapp said. “The freedoms we cherish today are the inheritance of their courage.”

Knapp also shared the story of Pvt. Bert Markham, a U.S. Marine killed during the Saint-Mihiel Offensive in September 1918, whose grave rests among many others from the same battle.

“If you walk among the headstones here and read, you’ll see many that are the same as Markham’s,” Knapp said. “A testament to the tremendous cost of days like that and wars like these.”

French Air Force Brig. Gen. Pierre Gaudillière, departmental military delegate representing the commanding general of France’s Eastern Defense Zone, encouraged attendees to remain mindful of the sacrifices made by allied forces.

“Remember, always be ready,” Gaudillière said. “Lest we forget.”

During his remarks, Lalor reflected on the Allied cooperation that helped secure victory during World War I and the enduring partnership between the United States and France.

“Over a century ago, Saint Mihiel stood as a stubborn protrusion to Allied lines,” Lalor said. “But we allied as nations, unified against a single cause, and prevailed against a common enemy.”

Lalor noted that more than 100,000 French Soldiers fought alongside American forces during the Saint-Mihiel Offensive, helping pave the way for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the eventual end of the war.

“That decisive victory, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive that followed, paved the way to ending the Great War,” Lalor said. “That victory came at a heavy cost, a cost reflected by the white stones around us and in our hearts.”

Lalor said the ceremony served not only as a remembrance of those lost during World War I, but also as a reminder of the enduring responsibility shared by NATO allies today.

“Since 1778, the U.S. Army motto has been ‘This We’ll Defend,’” Lalor said. “The emphasis is deliberately on ‘we’ rather than ‘I.’ In Europe, that ‘we’ has always extended beyond our own ranks to include our allies.”

Yvonne Gonzales, U.S. consul general in Strasbourg, reflected on the sacrifices of American service members buried far from home and reaffirmed the enduring relationship between France and the United States.

“To honor our fallen heroes is to reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, to justice, and to the unbreakable bond between our people,” Gonzales said.

As attendees stood among rows of white marble headstones, representatives from the United States, France, veterans organizations, and military units approached the memorial to lay wreaths in honor of the fallen.

The ceremony concluded with the sounding of taps and a moment of silence as attendees reflected on the service members buried at Saint Mihiel and the enduring alliance forged through their sacrifice more than a century ago.