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As the nation celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Veterans Affairs officials have added about 210,000 names of veterans killed or lost overseas — including about 93,000 WWII veterans — to the department’s expanding online memorial project.
The Veterans Legacy Memorial was launched in 2019 and creates websites recognizing the lives of deceased veterans, allowing relatives to update the online memorials with details for their service, post-military work and family history.
The expansion announced this week includes names from 26 overseas cemeteries and memorials administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
ABMC acting Secretary Robert Dalessandro said in a statement that the Veterans Legacy Project update "adds new resources to honor our nation’s veterans from all wars and brings their stories to those who aren’t able to visit our sites overseas.”
President Donald Trump this week issued a proclamation recognizing May 8 as the 80th anniversary of the end of European hostilities in that conflict.
In addition to the approximately 93,000 WWII veterans added to the veterans project, about 94,000 other names added to the list are of Americans missing in action overseas or buried at sea. Those individuals are honored in a series of overseas memorials overseen by the monuments commission.
"The brave Americans resting in ABMC cemeteries and whose names are inscribed on memorials around the world sacrificed their lives to liberate allied countries and to protect our nation’s interests,” said acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters in a statement. "It’s our honor to preserve their legacies.”
Officials in recent months have also updated the legacy project to allow veterans to provide details of their life and service before they pass away. Information on the "Your Story, Your Legacy” effort is available on the project’s website.
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