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Manila American Cemetery, Philippines

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The American Cemetery's Chapel
Manila American Cemetery, Philippines

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates lays a wreath at the door of the chapel, to honor the heroic dead resting in the Manila American Cemetery.

Work of the U.S. Government - Public domain.

Climbing up from the central pathway leading to the chapel, you'll first cross into a grassy terrace known as the Memorial Court. The American Cemetery's chapel stands at the south end of the circle demarcated by the two hemicycles surrounding the Memorial Court.

The chapel's façade features sculpture created by Boris Lovet Lorski and Filipino Cecchetti, depicting St. George fighting the dragon and the personifications of Liberty, Justice, and Country. At the very top of the relief stands Columbia and a child that symbolizes the future.

Inside the chapel, the worship area is set off with an altar crafted from Sicilian marble; on the wall behind it is a blue mosaic featuring a Madonna figure scattering flowers in memory of the heroic dead.

Every hour between 9am to 5pm, a carillon sounds to mark the hour and half hour - at 5pm, the carillon plays the national anthems of both the U.S. and the Philippines, followed by a volley of rifles and the playing of "taps".

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