When honour is hidden: removal of Black American soldiers

When Honour is Hidden: The removal of Black American soldier Memorials at Margraten

I’m actually angry about this. At the heart of honouring freedom, sacrifice and memory, something has gone terribly wrong.

In the peaceful village of Margraten, in the south of the Netherlands, lies the only U.S. military cemetery in the country, a powerful symbol of American sacrifice and Dutch gratitude. More than 8.000 American war dead are buried here and nearly 1.700 names are etched into the walls of the missing. But among them are the often-forgotten: the African American soldiers who fought for freedom abroad and justice at home.

George H. Pruitt

174 Black American servicemen are buried or memorialised at Margraten. Yet until very recently, their story was barely told. Two panels, installed in mid-2024, sought to correct that: one detailing the harsh reality of segregation. The other telling the personal heroism of Technician Fourth Class George H. Pruitt of the 43rd Signal Heavy Construction Battalion, a 23-year-old soldier with serial number: 32486541 drowned near Bremen, Germany on June 10, 1945 while trying to save a comrade while helping to lay a telephone line across a river. He saw a fellow soldier fall into the water without a moment’s hesitation and fully aware of the danger, Pruitt plunged in after him, still wearing his heavy uniform. He fought the freezing current, diving again and again in desperate attempts to reach his comrade. But the river was merciless. Exhausted and pulled under by the current, Pruitt never made it back to shore. He was just twenty-three years old. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial (Margraten) Plot L, Row 4, Grave 4

Soldier's medal

George H. Pruitt's wife, Mrs Blanche Pruitt of Branch Village, was awarded the Soldiers medal given to her husband posthumously. 

Memorial panels removed

Then, this summer, the panels disappeared from display. No public explanation, no local notification. Dutch officials called it “indecent” and “unacceptable”. The U.S. agency in charge, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), says the panels were part of a rotating exhibition. But why were these panels, telling this story, the ones to go?

This is about respect!

It’s not just about two panels. It’s about respect. It’s about whether all those who served, including Black soldiers who fought on two fronts, one overseas, one at home, will be remembered. Because if their stories are quietly removed, their sacrifice is hidden too.

The Netherlands was liberated in May 1945. U.S. soldiers died here so that freedom could flourish. Let’s make sure their full story lives on, not just the parts we’re comfortable remembering.