The American Battle Monuments Commission, enacted by Congress in 1923, was created to oversee commemorative sites honoring American servicemembers who died on foreign soil. Today, it maintains 24 American military cemeteries and 25 monuments and memorials located in 15 countries. Most well known are the cemeteries from World War I and World War II, such as the one in Normandy, France (see photo), but the commission also maintains one in Mexico City from the Mexican-American War of 1846-48 and one in Panama that claims many yellow fever victims during construction of the Panama Canal. The commission Web site has more information.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
