From: 
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 4:15 PM
To: airborneinnormandy.com
Subject: Re: Cemetery

Brian,

Reading about your research I wish you were the director of our new visitor center!

Having worked for the ABMC for nearly ****** now my main frustration has been the very rigid hierarchy and the silly beauraucracy.
The ABMC has been doing things a certain way for over 50 years now and it's a very slow progress to change its mission in the 21st century.

I have made several suggestions but was told that the "time is not right" yet.
Even the most basic request of acquiring the IDPFs of our "special burrials" was denied. Apparently the main reason is our (and several) other superintendents' fear of having to deal with upset next-of-kin.

When you try to take the initiative higher up you only get yourself in trouble. For example, during one of his visits I had pointed out to ABMC's number 2 that there are 6 names on our wall of the missing of men whose remains were recovered (all of them in the '50s and 60s) but there is no bronze rosette next to their names. On top of that 2 of them are actually buried in the Ardennes Cemetery! Result: I was severely reprimanded by my immediate superior. (if you could delete this message after reading it you would do me a favour)