May 26, 2012
ROXIE, MS - Not all came home. A native Mississippian, Pvt Howard Thomas Bonds, from Roxie in Franklin County, has his name listed on the Tablet of the Missing at The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the Netherlands. The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the Netherlands will hold a Memorial for the 1,729 identified American soliders buried and honored there on Sunday, May 27, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. their time.
The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. Netherlands American Cemetery lies in the village of Margraten, 6 miles east of Maastricht. Maastricht can be reached by train from Paris (Gare du Nord) via Liège, any city in Holland, or from Germany via Aachen. A bus service runs from Maastricht railroad station and Maastricht airport with taxicabs available for the 5 mile trip north to cemetry.
Citizens of The Netherlands have a special pride in the cemetery and most all gravesites have been adopted by more than one family. A special heart closeness has been felt down through the years since World War II for the American soldiers that help liberate The Netherlands Citizens from the Germans. Click here for a short video of the cemetry.
Bonds, Pvt. Howard Thomas (34272642) - Company A
Died: October 4, 1944 - between two woods west of Kijkuit and north of Castle Hattert, east of Overloon, Holland
Last Duty Location: between two woods west of Kijkuit and north of Castle Hattert, east of Overloon, Holland on October 4, 1944
Home State: MS (Roxie - Franklin County Native) Son of Iva Elizabeth Aldridge Bonds Whitehead and Thomas Kirby Bonds -
Buried at: Netherlands USMC (Margraten, Holland) WOM
There are 86,732 known soldiers buried overseas; 6,506 marked as unknown; 78,976 Missing Commemorated Soldiers (missing but confirmed dead) in countries such as Belgium, France, England, Italy, Luxembourg, Philippines, Holland, Tunisia, Hawaii based on current data compilied in an American Battle Monuments Publication. Some numbers are included in American Battle Monument Cemeteries data but are not administered by ABMC.
American Battle Monuments Cemeteries (ABMC) administers, operates, and maintains 24 permanent American burial grounds on foreign soil. Presently there are 124,905 U.S. war dead interred at these cemeteries, 30,921 of World War I, 93,234 of World War II and 750 of the Mexican War. Additionally 6,237 American veterans and others are interred in the Mexico City National Cemetery and Corozal American Cemetery
Source: American Battle Monuments Publication website
American Forces Network Europe
Actually his body was not recovered. He was in
ReplyDeletea tank that was blown up on a dike in Holland.
The marker was erected to recored his sacrifice.
..his name listed on the Tablet of the Missing... We thank you for your input and you are correct. His life is honored by his name listed at The Memorial on the Tablet of the Missing.
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