The announcement signs a memorandum of understanding that allows the United States and Tunisia to unearth the bodies of unknown soldiers from North African-American cemeteries and return them for identification and reunification with their families. It will be done after you do.
“We are very grateful to the fallen hero and his family,” said Natasha Franceski, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy. “Today’s historic agreement recognizes and honors the ultimate sacrifice they have made to our country for men and women of American service who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom. Will ensure that it is given. “
The cemetery near the Mediterranean Sea in Carthage, Tunisia, is the burial ground for 2,841 US military personnel from the North African Campaign. The missing wall, a memorial wall adjacent to the cemetery, bears the names of 3,724 military personnel who have disappeared and have never been found.
The Allied occupation of Tunisia provided a foothold for the invasion of Europe during World War II. Despite the early successes of the German and Italian troops, the Axis powers lost control over Tunisia over the more supplied Allied forces. By the summer of 1943, the Allies occupied Tunisia and expelled what remained in the Axis forces.
A North African-American cemetery for military personnel who died in the campaign was established in 1960, but the United States was unable to unearth and identify the bodies of unknown soldiers.
The newly signed memorandum will ultimately allow the United States to begin the difficult process of digging up and identifying the remains. The embassy didn’t say how early it would start.
Officials from the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Bureau also attended the signing ceremony. The agency’s mission is to retrieve American military personnel and identify them using a combination of forensic techniques and military records.
“When choosing between the simple and the right, live by the example of a fallen warrior,” Austin said. “And when the values we value are tested, live according to the ideals they gave life to protect.”
Source: www.cnn.com
