It contains the graves of 8,301 American soldiers who died in World War II, primarily during the liberation of South Limburg and the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest and the Ardennes.
In addition, the Walls of the Missing bear the names of 1,722 missing soldiers.
Shortly after the war, as early as 1945-1946, Limburg families spontaneously began laying flowers on the graves and "connecting" with a fallen soldier.
This evolved into the official adoption program of the Margraten American Cemetery Adoption Foundation.
How does adoption work today?
Dutch (and sometimes Belgian or German) individuals, families, schools, businesses, or associations can adopt a grave or a name on the Walls of the Missing.
For years, there has been a waiting list of thousands of people; every grave has been adopted at least once, many even multiple times.
Adopters regularly bring flowers, research "their" soldier, visit the cemetery on Memorial Day and July 4th, and keep the story alive.
The foundation coordinates everything and organizes the annual Dutch Remembrance Day ceremony (on the Sunday before Memorial Day) and the American ceremony.
The adoption program is unique in the world and is considered one of the finest examples of the enduring gratitude of the Dutch for the American liberators.
More than 80 years after the war, people still queue up to care for a grave.
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