The American Cemetery and Memorial is a must see visitor the site while in the greater Manila area. It is the largest American Cemetery in the world located outside of the US and it is over 152 acres in size and was first established in 1948. It is located on a large plateau with beautiful and breathtaking views around the city of Manila. This is a WW II Cemetery which contained over 17,000 war dead. There are over 36,000 names on the “Walls of the Missing” which is a circular monument which contain war missing whose bodies were never found. Also, on the inner limestone walls are 25 mosaic maps showing the many campaigns in the Southwest Pacific and China, Burma and the Indian Theaters of action. There is also a small Chapel between the two curved Walls of the Missing monument which is worth a visit inside to see and admire the stained glass windows. We first visited the American Cemetery on an earlier trip to Manila in 2011 and the Memorial was not built at that time. The Memorial is a new building and has two floors which explain in great detail the many battles within the Western Pacific during WW II. It also contains maps; models and graphic photos taken during WW II. It also has a very, very informative short movie on the many Theaters of Action within the Western Pacific during WW II. The Memorial is a must visit while seeing the other magnificent memorials located within this famous cemetery. One strong suggestion: don’t rush your visit to the American Cemetery and Memorial allow ample time to explore all parts of this outstanding and stunning location.

I am a retired Army officer, with Marine enlisted service. Whenever I am in an area that has an American Military Cemetery I stop by for a visit and prayer. This cemetery unlike many others is surrounded by urban Manilla. It is still a peaceful resting place for over 17,000 WWII KIAs. It also commemorates the 37,000 MIAs still missing from the Pacific Theater. It is beautifully maintained as all the cemeteries are. The one drawback is getting there. We came off a cruise ship at the port and spent over an hour in a taxi each way to traverse the 10 miles. The traffic is horrendous in Manilla. Would still do it again.

I actually visited in November of 2018. It happened to be Veteran’s Day when had the honor of visiting the WW2 American Cemetery in Manila. The staff were great. They flowered my Grandfather’s gravesite and brought me there. I also attended the Veteran’s Day service. I would highly recommend a visit to learn more about the tremendous sacrifice that was made in the South Pacific.