North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial
|This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2011)|
|Owned by||American Battle Monuments Commission|
|Size||27-acre (110,000 m2)|
|Number of graves||2,841|
|Find a Grave||North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial|
The North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial (NAAC), is a 27-acre (11 ha) cemetery located at Carthage, Tunisia, where 2,841 United States military casualties are interred. Most lost their lives during World War II military activities in North Africa.
Headstones are set in straight lines subdivided into 9 rectangular plots by wide paths, with decorative pools at their intersections. Along the southeast edge of the burial area, bordering the tree-lined terrace leading to the memorial is the Wall of the Missing. On this wall 3,724 names are engraved. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The chapel and the memorial court, which contains large maps in mosaic and ceramic depicting the operations and supply activities of American forces across Africa to the Persian Gulf, were designed to harmonize with local architecture. The chapel interior is decorated with polished marble, flags and sculpture.
The cemetery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except Tunisian Public holidays and December 25 and January 1. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is usually on duty in the Visitor Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.
- Capt. Foy Draper (1911–1943), Gold Medal Olympic sprinter (1936 Olympics) and USAAF pilot
- Pvt. Nicholas Minue (1905–1943), Medal of Honor recipient for his bravery near Majaz al Bab, Tunisia.
North Africa American Cemetery is located in close proximity to the site of the ancient city of Carthage, Tunisia, destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C., and lies over part of the site of Roman Carthage. It is near the present town of the same name, 10 miles (16 km) from the city of Tunis and 5 miles (8.0 km) from its airport. The "La Marsa" railroad runs from the center of Tunis to Carthage Amilcar station, a 5-minute walk from the cemetery; taxicabs are available at Tunis and at the airport. There are good hotel accommodations in Tunis as well as in the vicinity of the cemetery at Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, La Marsa and Gammarth.
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