In solemn ceremony, Murphy remembers those lost in WWII, offers pledge for future

“The Americans whose names here appear were part of the price that free men, for a second time this century, have been forced to pay to defend human liberty and rights. All who shall hereafter live in freedom will be here reminded that to these men and their comrades, we owe a debt to be paid with grateful remembrance of their sacrifice and with the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live eternally.”

The inscription runs along the top of the entire Wall of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, a more than a quarter-mile tribute that names each of the 5,127 Americans who perished during World War II but whose bodies were never recovered.

The wall marks the boundary of the magnificent memorial, which was dedicated in 1956 and serves as the only American military cemetery in Great Britian for World War II — a location that includes the final resting place for 3,812 soldiers.

In a ceremony unlike any you would find in the U.S., Gov. Phil Murphy joined a host of dignitaries and, more importantly and impressively, veterans — who came out to honor those had fallen during World War II.

Lt. Col. Joshua Rumsey, during the invocation, summed up the moment beautifully

“The headstones standing in precise formations contrast the chaotic circumstances surrounding the final minutes of their lives,” he told a crowd of more than 500. “May we honor the sacrifices of youth and potential, by furthering an ordered way of life that honors their sacrifice.

“As thousands of them paid the ultimate price, may each of us pay a thousand small prices to improve the things under our control.

“In the same way you gave a freedom to us, may we give it to others in the most holy name of God.”

More than 300 of those buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial were from New Jersey.

Murphy and first lady Tammy Murphy paid tribute to one, Private Elmer Shinn of Monmouth County, by laying a wreath at his grave. The governor said the individual sacrifice of each of the soldiers here must be remembered as individual acts.

Shinn, who served in the 22nd Infantry Regiment, Fourth Infantry Division, died in the line of duty from wounds suffered at the Battle of the Bulge. He died in the UK on March 14, 1945 — just weeks before the Germans surrendered to the Allies.

“Private Shinn’s story is a reminder that we join together, not merely as American citizens or British citizens, but as the strongest of allies,” he told those gathered. “And we must never forget that the enduring bond between our two peoples was made possible by heroes just like him and his blessed colleagues.

“Through their acts of bravery and selflessness, private Shinn and his fellow patriots paved the way for an alliance that has held strong now for over 80 years. An alliance that has preserved peace and stability — not just in America, and not just in the United Kingdom, but all across the globe.”

Murphy said the need to remember has never been so important.

“In 2024, as we watch the horrors of war sweep across Ukraine in the Middle East, let us recommit ourselves to preserving that very same alliance for generations to come,” he said. “Let us continue standing together to defend freedom and prosperity in every corner of the globe. And let us ensure that the heroes who are buried beneath this ground did not die in vain.

“In the words of the English poet Stephen Spender, this cemetery stands as a tribute to those who in their lives fought for life and left the vivid air signed with their honor.

“Today, that fight for life is now our fight for life. And we owe it to all those who came before us, as well as those who will come after us, to carry that torch of liberty forward.”

No ceremony on Veterans Day is complete without the thoughts from a veteran.

Charles Djou, secretary of the American Battlefield Monuments Commission and a veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, offered inspiring words.

For Djou, a former Congressman from Hawaii, remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice is a duty he feels we all must commit to. War history, he said, is about more than books and documentaries, it is about individuals willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause of freedom and democracy.

It is about their final resting place.

“I know that there are so many people in this world today who sometimes wonder, who question, who doubt: Do places like this still have any relevance?” he said. “I respond to all of them: If you wonder, if you question, if you doubt, come here to the Cambridge American Cemetery on British soil. Come here and see these crosses. See these Stars of David. See these names in the walls of the missing behind me – and see the real cost of war and the true price of freedom.”

Doing so, puts the present day — and the acts of authoritarian leaders such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China — into perspective, he said.

“I say (to them): Come here and renew your faith. Come here and be reminded that Americans, that British, coming together, can still fight for freedom,” he said.

For no reward other than freedom itself, Djou said.

“When we Americans join with the cause of freedom and democracy, we do not ask that we will fight for a king or a crown or a sect or denomination — we do not ask for conquest or plunder or enslavement of another people,” he said.

“Instead, when we Americans send our young, our best and our finest to go out and to fight, all that we will ask for in return are a few small plots of land to bury our dead.”

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