Chief Master Sgt. Edward Horsch with U.S. Air Forces in Europe financial management, left, and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Jessup of U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern light candles Saturday morning at the Kaiserslautern cemetery during the annual Kindergraves memorial service. (Steve Mraz / Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A pink carnation and a tiny U.S. flag graced the markers of the 451 graves of American children buried at the Kaiserslautern city cemetery.
On a beautiful Saturday morning, dozens gathered at the final resting places for the youngsters who died in the Kaiserslautern area to pay tribute to those taken before their time. The children were interred at the cemetery from 1952 to 1971, a time when U.S. servicemembers in the area were unable to transport the deceased to the States for burial.
Most of the children buried at the German cemetery were infants who died of complications before they were 6 months old, and nearly all were sons and daughters of American military stationed in and around Kaiserslautern.
Those in attendance for Saturday’s annual Kindergraves memorial service were mostly senior enlisted members of the U.S. Air Force and Army serving in the Kaiserslautern area.
Air Force Senior Master Sgt. John Tway talked about the two symbolic decorations adorning each flat grave marker.
"The flower symbolizes the parents’ love for their child, and the American flag represents a caring nation," he said.
Air Force Col. Donald Bacon, commander of the 435th Air Base Wing at Ramstein Air Base, gave a speech reflecting on the purpose of Saturday’s service.
"We remember the families who lost their babies over the last six decades and who cried and mourned in this cemetery and area," he said. "We hope that God’s grace and a passing of time have helped assuage the sorrows they felt when they lost their newborn children."
The memorial service is more than a remembrance of the deceased children, said Cheryl Mahoney, an Air Force spouse and American president of the German-American and International Women’s Club.
"Today, we remember not only the brief, little lives of these 451 infant children — fondly nicknamed ‘the littlest raiders’ — and their military parents represented by the lovely markers and grounds, but also the tremendous thoughtfulness and generosity of many persons who throughout the years have made this burial site and service a reality," she said.
The upkeep of the grave sites and the renewal of the cemetery lease are entirely dependent on volunteers and charitable contributions. The Ramstein Area Chief’s Group organizes volunteers to perform maintenance throughout the year.
The current lease for the grave site ends in 2011, and the cost of renewing it will be around 7,000 euros, which will require donations from the community. For more information, see www.kindergraves.delayineurope.com.
Chief Master Sgt. Edward Horsch with U.S. Air Forces in Europe financial management, left, and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Jessup of U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern light candles Saturday morning at the Kaiserslautern cemetery during the annual Kindergraves memorial service. (Steve Mraz / Stars and Stripes)
Xavier Rodriguez of Ramstein High School's Air Force Junior ROTC program stands before the 451 graves of American children interred at the Kaiserslautern cemetery. The annual Kindergraves memorial service took place Saturday morning at the Kaiserslautern cemetery. (Steve Mraz / Stars and Stripes)
Most of the children buried at the cemetery were infants who died of complications before reaching six months of age, and were children of American military stationed in the Kaiserslautern area. (Steve Mraz / Stars and Stripes)
