On October 2, a ceremony at the Florence American Cemetery honoured the 80th anniversary of the Northern Italian Campaign during World War II. The solemn event at via Cassia, Impruneta, organized by Be the Difference – Never Again, in partnership with the American Battle Monuments Commission and the U.S. Consulate General of Florence, gave tribute to the fallen American service members who remain in this sacred place.
Participants were invited to stand beside the headstone of a service member in a poignant moment of reflection. The event was attended by Daniela Ballard, U.S. Consul General in Florence, Eryth Zecher, Superintendent of the Florence American Cemetery, and Elizabeth Bettina, founder of Be the Difference – Never Again and author of It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How Italians Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust. The ceremony was also attended by mayors and dignitaries of several Tuscan cities and villages, as well as American and Italian citizens, including study-abroad students.
The cemetery in Impruneta is the final resting place for 4,402 American soldiers and a memorial to 1,309 Missing in Action from the Northern Italian Campaign during World War II. Prior to the ceremony, students received educational materials to help them research the stories of the service members that were honored.
