Manila American Cemetery & Memorial

Visit the American Cemetery in Taguig City

The Tablets of Missing, with 36,286 names of soldiers missing in action

There are 3660 headstones here

​The American cemetery is beautifully located

The cemetery is beautifully located with impressive views over the lowlands to Laguna de Bay and towards the distant mountains. The area is so quiet and you can wander around and contemplate over the soldiers who lost their lives in the World War II. When you see all the headstones and the names it really calls for reflection over the madness of war.

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​Overview

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. It contains the largest number of graves of the US military dead of World War II, a total of 17,191, most of whom lost their lives in operations in New Guinea and the Philippines. Among them are 570 Philippine Nationals who were serving alongside with the US Forces.

​​The chapel

The chapel, a white masonry building enriched with sculpture and mosaic, stands near the center of the cemetery. In front of it on a wide terrace are two large hemicycles. Twenty-five mosaic maps recall the achievements of the American armed forces in the Pacific, China, India and Burma. On rectangular Trani limestone piers within the hemicycles, are inscribed the Tablets of the Missing containing 36,286 names.

​The chapel

View over the entrance head north

The remains of about 61 percent have been returned to the US at the request of the next of kin

The American cemetery is organized and minimalistic

Compared to the Manila Chinese Cemetery which was like a maze of different styles and colors this cemetery is strictly organized and minimalistic with the headstones in perfect order. They are aligned in 11 plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.

When you are overlooking 3660 headstones it really calls for reflection over the madness of war...

Behind me, it's one of these two massive hemicycles with the Tablets of Missing

Among these 36,286 names, there were two seamen with the name Henry Lord, same family name as me. And let's not forget the 3762 Philippine Nationals whose remains were never recovered are also inscribed on the Walls of the Missing.

The maintenance of the cemetery is meticulous

In the background you see a residential complex at McKinley Pkwy towards Makati

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Manila American Cemetery
McKinley Road, Fort Bonifacio, 
1634 Taguig City, Philippines
Phone: 011-632-844-0212