MADINGLEY, England — Monday was the second time Marilyn Kraus came to the pristine American military cemetery in this small village on the outskirts of Cambridge.

Unlike her visit in 2005, this time she brought her three adult children and a niece and a nephew to the annual Memorial Day ceremony. Together they honored Kraus’ father, Tommy Hayes, a P-51 Mustang pilot during World War II.

"It’s so moving to see people haven’t forgotten what our parents did," said Kraus, of Fairfax, Va., whose father died last year at age 91. "This just reinforces the stories among his grandchildren."

Kraus and her family seemed to embody the message of the event’s keynote speaker, Jonna Doolittle Hoppes, an American author and journalist.

In "Calculated Risk," Hoppes chronicled the life of her grandfather Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, perhaps best known for leading the famed Tokyo raid in 1942. During her address, she encouraged the hundreds of Americans and Britons in the audience "to ensure the legacy endures despite our sound-byte culture."

"Your history deserves telling and re-telling," Hoppes said. "Tell stories. Make sure your history is available."

Madingley American Cemetery is the final resting place for 3,811 Americans who died during World War II, many of whom served in the Army Air Corps in East Anglia. Dedicated in 1956, the 30-acre site is also home to a 500-foot-long wall etched with the names of 5,125 Americans who perished in the war but whose remains were never found. Five pylons on the north side of the memorial commemorate the years the United States participated in the war.

The immaculate site draws thousands of people throughout the year.

On Memorial Day and Veterans Day, the American and British militaries collaborate to host ceremonies that draw hundreds. The Air Force also participates in the British Remembrance Day in November when the country honors its veterans.

Lt. Col. Greg Johnson, with the 306th Flying Training Group from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., was one of five from the service academy to attend Monday’s event.

"There is probably no closer bond than that between the U.S. and British air forces," said Johnson, whose unit is a successor of the 306th Bombardment Group, which was based in nearby Thurleigh during World War II and the first American unit to strike Berlin.

Along with the Memorial Day event, Johnson and his colleagues attended a reunion last week hosted by the 306th Bombardment Group Association, a British historical society in Thurleigh.

"We have a great respect for each other. This is as good as it gets," Johnson said.

Briton Michael Maddock came from Liverpool to pay tribute to American troops, laying flowers on the graves of the American troops from RAF Burtonwood, near Liverpool, who perished during the war.

"I want to keep the memory alive of what the Americans did for us," he said.