With a simple brush and pail of water, it’s a continuous homage half a globe away. A crew of 20 in southern Italy washes each of the 7,861 military gravestones of servicemen from areas like Connecticut and Missouri three days a week. South of Rome, the World battle II Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial honors American military battle dead. During World War II, the majority were slain in actions aimed at freeing Rome from the Nazis.
Dawn Royster had no idea such locations existed until she began studying her family history. Royster told her mother that she would travel to Italy to pay tribute to her grandpa, Lieutenant James A. Calhoun. He was a Tuskegee Airman, a member of the illustrious African American US Army regiment.
“My grandmother, I believe, was his neighbor, and they met and fell in love,” Royster went on to say. “He was dark. She was all white. It was, well, quite a huge thing! My grandmother’s relatives was not pleased.”
When Lt. Calhoun died during the war, Royster’s family believed her grandmother’s account that he was lost in action and not buried in one of the military cemeteries controlled by the United States government. However, as Royster informed Melanie Resto, an Army veteran who manages this cemetery, her mother discovered some old War Department letters:
“I recall her approaching me and telling me, ‘My father is buried in a cemetery in Italy.'” ‘What are you talking about?’ we asked. He had gone disappeared.’ ‘He wasn’t,’ she said. He also has a grave.”
Resto’s work as superintendent includes collecting and preserving their stories. She went on to say, “The promise that was made – Time will not dim the glory of their deeds – is a promise we hold true today.”
General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission by President Warren Harding, made that vow. Harding signed legislation creating this endeavor to memorialize deceased and missing service men one hundred years ago, in 1923.
“Today, service members killed in action, he’s automatically flown home in what, 12, 15 hours at most?” “He can be at home in the United States,” Resto explained. “But that was not the situation back then. Overseas, we had war dead.”
The committee now oversees 26 permanent burial grounds and 32 memorials, monuments, and markers in far-flung locations such as the Solomon Islands, Tunisia, the Philippines, and Panama. In France, there are 12 cemeteries.
The cemetery outside of Rome is solely for World War II war dead who perished between Sicily and Rome. “So, no spouses are buried here, none of their children are buried here, like they would at a normal national cemetery, such as Arlington,” Resto added.
The grounds, like Arlington, are scrupulously maintained. Dimitri Manuzzi, one of the twenty gardeners on the crew, said it’s necessary for the grounds to be accurate in order to remember the fallen: “Nothing is perfect – we work [to] create perfect,” he added. “Every day we honor these guys who give us their life for liberty.”
Siversto Martufi, 94, grew up close and remembers the Allies landing. “Every time I pass by here, I salute them,” he went on to say. “I was very close to these guys, and on Sunday when I make my visit, I talk with them. For me, this place is very close to my heart.”
Anna Carrocci, 88, remembers when this cemetery was created. “When they started working here, I saw all of the body bags on the ground,” she explained. When I questioned my mother, she told me, ‘These are all of the warriors who were fighting for us.’ And I thought to myself, ‘Oh dear, so many…'”
She was only a youngster at the time, but the memories are still painful for her.
Dawn Royster did not expect to cry when she visited her grandfather’s grave: “I always just thought he was missing in action.” Even now, it’s dawning on me that he’s right here. That is astounding to me.”
Resto wipes sand from the neighboring beach of Nettuno, where the Allies landed, onto the memorial, bringing the names back into focus, as she does for every visiting family member.
“It seems like a royal person would be buried here,” Royster observed. “It is stunningly beautiful, immaculately kept, and very elegant.” What a fantastic location to spend your downtime, being watched and cared for every day.”
It’s all part of Gen. Pershing’s guarantee from 100 years ago: “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”
