Former U.S. War Cemetery "Hillside Cemetery"

This small war cemetery was used for the temporary burial of U.S. war dead on Shemya.

In World War II, Shemya had a large army air base. Soldiers died in training accidents. Some pilots, wounded in air operations against the Japanese, returned to the Shemya air base and died. There were also deaths by suicides. These deceased troops were interred in the Shemya cemetery. This was always meant to be a reverent but temporary situation. After the war, the deceased were transferred to military or civilian cemeteries based on the wishes of the next of kin. The disinterment and reinternment of WW II remains was guided by government policy outlined in the pamphlet, Disposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead (1946).

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Source

• Text: Kaj Metz + Kenneth Lawson
• Photos: National Park Service