BONY, France — The commander in charge of Army operations in Europe led Memorial Day tributes Sunday at the Somme American Cemetery, where some of the first American troops to die in combat on European soil are buried.

Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said that although the nearly 1,850 soldiers interred at the site died more than a century ago, their service must never be forgotten.

“Honoring their sacrifices reminds us that freedom isn’t free and that the American soldier will go and fight wherever, and whenever, their nation calls,” Donahue said.

The event was one of about two dozen held in Europe over Memorial Day weekend at cemeteries run by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

More than 100,000 Americans who fought in both world wars are buried at ABMC sites in Europe beneath white crosses and Stars of David — enduring reminders of the sacrifice that helped secure the Continent’s freedom.

French and American officials were joined by British and Australian representatives at the ceremony, where several wreaths were laid. French soldiers stood in formation, and a U.S. Air Force contingent that included members of the Ramstein Air Base honor guard participated.

An Army formation from the 7th Engineer Brigade, based in Ansbach, Germany, and part of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command based in Kaiserslautern also took part.

“Being in the military, recognizing that there were those who gave their ultimate sacrifice for love of the country and the defense of the nation and our allies, it’s definitely something that we all feel connected to because we have all sworn to uphold that same oath and take it to that ultimate level if need be,” Army 1st Sgt. Issac Turrentine said.

The 14.3-acre cemetery features rows of white headstones like other ABMC sites. A massive bronze door with an American eagle leads into the chapel, whose outer walls contain sculpted pieces of military equipment and bear the names of 333 missing soldiers.

They are among more than 20,000 missing U.S. service members memorialized at ABMC sites in Europe. A rosette — a small bronze circular marker resembling a flower or laurel wreath — is placed beside a name when a missing service member’s remains are identified.

Sunday’s ceremony came about a week before the start of the annual D-Day commemorations in nearby Normandy, which mark the World War II Allied landings of June 6, 1944.

Though World War II is widely remembered as a fight against tyranny and Nazi oppression in Europe, World War I occupies a more complicated place in public memory.

The United States remained neutral for nearly three years, reluctant to become entangled in a distant European conflict that many Americans saw as not their fight.

But by early 1917, German submarine attacks on American ships and the infamous Zimmermann telegram — in which Germany proposed a military alliance with Mexico — forced a reckoning. On April 6, 1917, Congress declared war.

President Woodrow Wilson framed the decision as a moral imperative: to make the world “safe for democracy.”

By the time American troops began fighting in the Somme region, it had already been devastated by years of trench warfare. The 1916 Battle of the Somme resulted in more than 1 million casualties and is considered one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

The American cemetery in Bony contains the graves of U.S. soldiers who fought in the final offensives of the war, mainly in September and October 1918, during the assault on the Hindenburg Line — Germany’s last major defensive position — while serving under British command. Others fell near Cantigny, the site of the first major American-led attack of the war.

The operations marked the emergence of U.S. forces as a serious presence on the Western Front.

“When we visit these cemeteries, or any of the American cemeteries in Europe and Africa, it’s not just a history lesson; it’s a deeply moving experience that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Donahue said. “It’s a sacred reminder that as Allies, we have a collective duty to transform, adapt and innovate ahead of war to ensure we don’t repeat the experience of the First World War’s trench warfare.”

By the end of World War I, about 116,000 U.S. troops had died.

Last year, approximately 3 million people visited ABMC sites worldwide, including 1.5 million at Normandy American Cemetery. In 2024, about 700 visitors came to Somme American Cemetery, an increase of 200 from the year before.

“By continuing to honor the fallen, we perpetuate their legacies and pass on to future generations an understanding of the collective sacrifice required to safeguard our freedom and prosperity,” said Stephen Munro, superintendent of the Somme American Cemetery.