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U.S. Agency Removes Panels on Black WWII Troops at Margraten After Review

An internal ABMC review prompted the removals, driving local calls for restoration.

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A soldiers check the last details of preparations of the cemetery before the annual Memorial Day commemoration at the American cemetery in Margraten, on May 29, 2022.
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Display about Black soldiers in World War II.

Overview

  • The American Battle Monuments Commission says one panel about Technician 4th Class George H. Pruitt is off display but not out of rotation, while a broader panel on segregation and service has been retired.
  • The two panels, installed in 2024 at the request of the former U.S. ambassador, focused on African American troops’ experiences and featured quotes from 1st Lt. Jefferson Wiggins.
  • Former ABMC secretary Charles Djou says the removals followed an internal review prompted by the Trump administration, while the agency attributes the action to its own interpretive-content review.
  • Dutch officials, including the Eijsden-Margraten mayor and Limburg’s provincial government, have formally urged ABMC and U.S. Ambassador Joe Popolo Jr. to restore the displays.
  • The cemetery holds about 8,300 American graves, including roughly 172–174 Black servicemembers, and recent reporting notes other Black-focused panels were not visible as the debate unfolds, with related DEI actions across federal sites providing context.