American Battle Monuments Commission staff participated in the HistoEx: History to Experience Convention, organized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Aug. 1-3 in Manila. The event served as a platform for ABMC to reaffirm its commitment in honoring and remembering U.S. service members interred and commemorated at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Clark Veterans Cemetery, and Cabanatuan American Memorial.

The convention gathered history organizations, cultural and heritage institutions, and passionate individuals from across the country who share a dedication to preserving and promoting historical awareness. As one of the participating groups, ABMC shared its mission of engaging the public with the stories of service members who served during World War II, honored at the Manila American Cemetery and Cabanatuan American Memorial, and the shared U.S.–Philippine burial heritage represented at Clark Veterans Cemetery.

During the three-day event, ABMC welcomed visitors to its booth, where attendees learned about the agency’s sites through select service member stories, interpretive materials, and invitations to experience cemeteries and memorials through both personal and impersonal interpretive services.

On the second day of the convention, Vicente Lim IV, director of the Visitor Center at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, delivered a presentation on ABMC’s role in preserving cemeteries and memorials as spaces of remembrance and reflection for those who served and sacrificed during World War II.

ABMC’s participation in HistoEx not only reinforced its role in commemorating service members through its cemeteries and memorials but also expanded opportunities for collaboration and public outreach, upholding Gen. John J. Pershing’s enduring promise that, “time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”