The American Battle Monuments Commission hosted a ceremony Aug. 16 at Rhone American Cemetery to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Operation Dragoon. The event honored the sacrifices of the men and women who fought and died during the Allied landings in the south of France.  

The ceremony brought together U.S. and French dignitaries, military leaders, and the local community to honor the U.S. fallen who made the ultimate sacrifice in the European Theater of war. 

The event included speeches from Richard Strambio, Mayor of Draguignan; Patricia Miralles, Minister for French Veterans; and Jessica Huaracayo, Counsel General for the United States at Marseille. The ceremony also featured a formal wreath-laying ceremony and the playing of taps.  

“Eighty-one years have passed, and this cemetery has become a place of pilgrimage, not only for their families and fellow Americans, but also for us,” said cemetery associate Jenny Hofschneider, who provided the English translation for the ceremony narration. “Draguignan is proud to host this piece of American ground to fan the flame of friendship between France and the United States of America.” 

Rhone American Cemetery is located along the route where the U.S. Seventh Army drove up the Rhone Valley. The site was dedicated in 1956. It was initially established on Aug. 17, 1944, after the Seventh Army’s surprise landing in Southern France. Approximately 900 U.S. military dead are buried at this site and another approximately 300 are memorialized on its wall of the missing. Most of them lost their lives in the liberation of the South of France in August 1944.  

The American Battle Monuments Commission’s mission is to honor the service of the U.S. armed forces by creating and maintaining memorial sites, offering commemorative services, and facilitating the education of their legacy to future generations.