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The annual Kindergraves memorial was held May 19 at the Kaiserslautern Main Cemetery.
It’s been said that parents should never have to experience outliving their children, but too often parents are faced with harsher realities.
458 American infants who died at birth or shortly after birth from 1952-1971 were buried in different locations at the Kaiserslautern Main Cemetery. In 1968, when the 25 year lease of the burial ground was coming to an end, the Kindergraves were at risk of being moved.
Local organizations sprang into action. The German American and International Women’s Club and the Ramstein Area Chiefs’ Group played an important role in renewing the lease.
The Kaiserslautern Kindergraves Memorial Foundation was founded and helped to consolidate the graves into a central location. Donations from the public helped to secure a new 25-year lease.
This year’s memorial began in the Daenner Kaserne Chapel in Kaiserslautern and concluded with a wreath laying ceremony at the gravesite. The Ramstein Area Chief’s Group attended, as well as Ramstein High School’s Jr. Reserve Officer Training Corps color guard and city government representatives.
The Kindergraves receive no funding from government organizations. The upkeep of the graves depends solely on volunteers and donations from the local community.
For more information regarding the history of the Kaiserslautern Kindergraves, visit www.kaiserslautern-kindergraves.org.
