Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial

CEMETERY BELLEAU WOOD

This cemetery, 42.5 acres in extent, is situated at the foot of the hill on which stands Belleau Wood where many of those buried in the cemetery lost their lives. During WWI, it was a temporary cemetery established by the Army's Graves Registration Service, known as American Expeditionary Forces' Cemetery No. 1764-Belleau Wood. When in 1921, Congress authorized its retention as one of eight permanent WWI cemeteries on foreign soil, an agreement was negotiated with the Government of France granting its use in perpetuity, free of charge or taxation.

The cemetery is laid out generally in the form of a "T." The chapel which crowns the "T" sits on high ground to the south. The cross bar of the "T" is formed by the cemetery's two grave plots, each projecting in a slightly convex arc from opposite side of the mail. A flag pole, centered on each side of the mail, overlooks each grave plot.