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MAASTRICHT, The Netherlands, May 7 (Xinhuanet) -- US
President George W. Bush is going for a two-day visit to the Netherlands
Saturday evening. On top of his agenda is a visit to the World WarII Netherlands
American Cemetery and Memorial on Sunday.
The cemetery, the only US military
cemetery in the Netherlands,lies in the village of Margraten about 10 km east of
Maastricht, the first Dutch city liberated by the Allied forces at the end of
the World War II.
The city bordering Germany and Belgium is also
world-famous forits monumental role in the integration process of the European
Union (EU). The EU leaders met 14 years ago here and later signed the Maastricht
Treaty, one of the key documents in establishing the union.
The site of the cemetery, which has an area of 65
acres (263,000 square meters), lies near the famous Cologne-Boulogne
highway,which was originally built by the Romans and used by Caesar duringhis
campaign in that area.
In May 1940, Hitler's legions advanced over the route
of the old Roman highway, overwhelming the Low Countries. In September 1944,
German troops once more used the highway for the withdrawal from the countries
occupied for four years.
From the cemetery entrance people can approach
through the Court of Honor with its pool reflecting the chapel tower. The walls
on either side of the Court of Honor contain the Tablets of the Missing on which
are recorded the names of 1,723 missing US soldiers
The burial area is divided into 16 plots where 8,301
US soldiers were buried. Their headstones are set in long curves. A wide
tree-lined mall leads to the flag staff which crowns the crest.
The site of the cemetery was liberated on Sept. 13,
1944 by troops of the US 30th Infantry Division which were advancing
northeastward toward the Roer in Germany, as part of the US First Army. This
battlefield cemetery, one of the first to be used for the interment of American
soldiers who fell on German soil, was established here on Nov. 10 of the same
year by the US Ninth Army.Enditem | 
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