Memorial Day in Mexico City

Over the years I've been invited to participate in a number of Memorial Day observances -- to say the invocation in the park or the benediction at the cemetery.  But in all the years I've been a priest i have never (I'm ashamed to say) willingly chosen to attend a Memorial Day Observance.  Being here in Mexico City, far from the traditions of home, family, and culture, I feel differently.  When I received an email from a local charity with the reminder of the Memorial Day observance at the American Military Cemetery, something strange happened to me.  I wanted to go.  Something about a slice of home, nostalgia, whatever... I just had to take time to attend.  I couldn't let Memorial Day be just another ordinary workday.  Plus I felt the need to acknowledge my connection with the American expatriate community, especially since I knew I would be making a special connection with the British expatriate community over the weekend of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The Cemetery is in a rather obscure commercial neighborhood not so far outside of the center of the city.  I say it's obscure, because when I caught a taxi from the Metro station nearest to the cemetery, the driver told me there was no American Cemetery nearby.  (Mexican cab drivers are NOT like cab drivers in NYC who know the city.  In fact, some of them are downright clueless -- they would have to be for ME to be giving them directions!)  Anyway, I arrived at the ceremony about 20 minutes late, in a foul mood, which immediately lifted when I looked around to see the gorgeously beautiful setting.  It was like a small but lush tropical garden.

ABMC -- "Ameican Battle Monuments Commission" -- refers to some kind of US Federal or Military Agency that administers this property.  I think this cemetery might have actually been founded as a place to bury the war dead from the Mexican-American War of 1848 (still a bit of a sore point here -- after all Mexico lost about one-third of its territoy to the US in that conflict). 

There were approximately 200 people at the Memorial Day Ceremony -- this included representatives from the British Foreign Legion and the Mexican Veterans Association as well -- a point which I actually found very moving.  I want to find out more about how the Mexican
Air Force assisted the US war effort during World War II, as some of the elderly Mexican veterans present were involved in that. 

Although the ceremony was a very typical Memorial day observance with all of the usual ritual -- of course at the same time it was UNtypical, because of the location. 

The address was given by the US Embassador to Mexico, H.E. Earl Anthony Wayne, who focused on the role that cooperation between nations plays in securing a free and democratic world.  It was quite well done, and hearing it made me even more glad I had made the effort to attend. 

I was also glad that I ran into some members of Christ Church -- some embassy people, some not -- who were present for the day's event.