File:Corozal American Ceremony.jpg

English: American and Panamanian flags are placed at the location of new burial locations ahead of an expansion ceremony at Corozal American Cemetery, March 15, 2021. ABMC photo: Maximiliano Rios

With the presentation of a wreath, a new burial section opened at Corozal American Cemetery in Panama. Corozal is one of only two cemeteries managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission that is still open to burials. The expansion was made possible by the hard work of numerous ABMC partners including: local veterans organizations; U.S. Department of State; and the U.S. Department of Defense. The small ceremony, on a bright and breezy afternoon, included brief remarks from Stewart Tuttle, Chargé d’Affaires for the nearby U.S. Embassy in Panama. American and Panamanian flags marked the approximately 300 plots in the new cemetery section. ABMC assumed responsibility for Corozal American Cemetery in 1982 from the U.S. Army. A memorial consisting of a paved plaza and 12-foot-tall granite obelisk was constructed in 1984. The rolling landscape of the 17-acre cemetery is lush with tropical flowers and stately palm trees. There are more than 5,500 individuals buried at Corozal from more than 70 countries. They represent U.S. veterans from numerous conflicts spanning both the 19th and 21st centuries, as well as some who died during the construction of the Panama Canal. U.S. veterans and their families are eligible for burial at Corozal if they are residents or citizens of Panama. In addition to the small flags adorning each new grave location, large flags representing the branches of the military were set up for the event, right behind the wreath. “They will never be forgotten,” read the sash on the wreath, made up of red, white and blue flowers.

- Learn more about the cemetery: www.abmc.gov/Corozal