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AIA lends a caring hand

By MSgt. Mike Ronayne
26th ISS
Ramstein AB, Germany

Donating personal time to charities is very common in military communities; however, 26th Intelligence Group personnel in the Kaiserslautern Military Community are involved in a particularly unusual and worthwhile program.

On a monthly basis, Air Intelligence Agency members from the 26th IG Staff and 426th Intelligence Squadron perform caretaking duties at a children’s cemetery located near Ramstein AB, Germany. The cemetery is called “Kindergraves.”

Kindergraves is made up of more than 450 American children who were buried in the Kaiserslautern Main Cemetery between 1952 and 1971. Most of the children were infants who died before reaching the age of three months, and, with few exceptions, were the children of parents stationed in the KMC.

At that time, assistance from the government or the Red Cross was not available to transport these young children to the United States for a stateside burial.

During those years, the city of Kaiserslautern donated the use of public burial plots, while local groups associated with the military community maintained the sites. The lease for the grave sites (grave sites in Germany are leased on a yearly basis rather than purchased outright at the time of death) was scheduled to run out in 1986, but the KMC Chief’s Group came to the rescue by extending the lease with the city of the Kaiserslautern.

The city agreed to consolidate the graves in one area, covering more than 400 square yards. Funding for the lease came from the area Air Force and Army Wives’ Clubs of Kaiserslautern, German-American Women’s Club and other private sources. The office of the deputy commander of the KMC located at Kapaun AB, is the responsible agency for the sites.

Caretaking of the sites has been left up to volunteer agencies within the KMC, such as the Boy Scouts and various Air Force squadrons located on Kapaun and Ramstein AB.

Throughout the spring and summer months, 26th IG members cut grass, plant flowers, pull weeds and do whatever it takes to keep the plot in immaculate condition. The call for volunteers within the group has been tremendous, with many members and their families providing support in full force. Many times, more volunteers arrive than tools available -- evidence of true concern and care of the cemetery.

26th IG members are proud to contribute to this truly worthwhile cause, and are hopeful their contributions make a difference to families who have lost children while overseas.