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Each spring, the Saturday following Mother’s Day, the Ramstein Area Chief’s Group and the German-American and International Women’s Club Kaiserslautern conduct the Kindergraves memorial ceremony.
The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Color Guard will lead the procession at 9:45 a.m. May 17 from the Daenner Chapel to the Kindergraves on the Kaiserslautern main cemetery (Waldfriedhof), where a brief memorial service will be conducted by Chaplain (Lt. Col.)
William McCoy, U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern, and Chaplain (Maj.) Henry Close, 435th Air Base Wing.
The Kindergraves serve as the final resting place for 451 American children of servicemen and women serving in Europe during the buildup of the Cold War.
“The veterans made it home safely, but their children stayed behind in the U.S. Forces Kindergraves,” said Chief Master Sgt. (Ret.) Terence DeLay, Ramstein Area Chief’s Group. “The children had no chance at life; most perished before their first birthday.”
One such veteran was Spc. 2nd Class Simon Brooks who served with the Army Signal Corps at Pirmasens during the post war days of reconstruction and strengthening of the line drawn between U.S. allies and the Soviets. His wife, Gloria, was a dedicated Army spouse who traveled several days by ship to join him in Europe.
“Gloria gave birth to their firstborn son, Floyd, soon after arriving in February 1955,” said Carol Brooks, Gloria’s and Simon’s later-born daughter. Floyd was premature at birth and died soon after. Gloria became pregnant again and gave birth to a second son, John, in October 1955.
“Unfortunately, John was also premature and died shortly after birth. Floyd and John stayed behind when my parents returned to the United States a couple years later,” said Mrs. Brooks.
From 1952 to 1971, American infants who died at the American military hospital at Landstuhl and nearby civilian hospitals were buried in the Kaiserslautern cemetery. Most were six months old or younger and died as a result of birth complications or an incurable disease. Transportation for a stateside burial was not available through the Department of Defense.
For more than three decades, the Kindergraves were scattered throughout different areas of the Kaiserslautern cemetery. Initially, German and American women cared for the gravesites. In 1986, the Ramstein Area Chief’s Group joined with the German-American and International Women’s Club Kaiserslautern in forming the Kaiserslautern Kindergraves Memorial Foundation. The foundation worked with community leaders to consolidate the children’s graves to one centralized location.
“The purpose of the KKMF is to ‘keep the children’s memories alive’ by preserving a respectful and eternal resting place for the children,” said Chief DeLay.
The foundation maintains open communications with families, preserves historic archives, conducts ceremonies and provides oversight to site maintenance. While the Kindergraves look as if they receive tender loving care from their families, most of the families returned to America many decades ago. The care and upkeep of the gravesite is performed by American and German volunteers supporting the KKMF.
They meet routinely to cut the grass, rake leaves, clean grave markers and tend to the flowers. Private donations fund the maintenance activities.
For more information, e-mail american_kinder@yahoo.com or visit http://kindergraves.delayineurope.com.
(Courtesy of Ramstein Area Chief’s Group)
