The Oerie cemetery is small. To the right of the entrance you’ll find a water-pump and right and left along the short gravelled path the graves are neatly laid out. At the back and to the left there is a small chapel built after WW II.

Also at the back of the cemetery you’ll find a relatively large lawn without graves in the shadow of a big weeping willow. On this spot the nine Americans had been buried in 1944 (According to American military documents)

In 1946, the remains were exhumed and re-interred in American military cemeteries in Belgium (Neuville-en-Condroz) and in the Netherlands (Margraten). At a later stage ,Raymond O. McKee found his final place of rest on Baton Rouge National Cemetery in the State of Louisiana.

Final place of Raymond O. McKee on Baton Rouge National Cemetery

When we arrived at the cemetery, the McKees were astonished that the part where the crew of „Ark Angel“ had been originally buried had remained unused. We did not spend much time there because of the cold and the wind.

Larry (middle) and Barney McKee (right) at Oerie Cemetery

But all of a sudden, Larry asked Mayor Wulkopf if it would be permitted to place a small monument on that particular spot in the cemetery. To be continued....

Larry McKee with Mayor Wulkopf

The rest of the afternoon we spent in a convivial small party.

Leaving Oerie

The next day, the McKees continued their journey towards Switzerland, where they were received by John and Carien Meurs.