Adopt a U.S. Tommy program

Prior to the United States entering both World War I and World War II, Americans crossed the borders to join the British Commonwealth and French forces to fight against the aggression posed by the Axis powers. The most famous of these was the Lafayette Escadrille that flew with the French during World War I.

Mainly the Americans joined the Commonwealth forces of Canada and Great Britain, but a few chose to serve the Commonwealth nations of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The American Legion has a long history of honoring those who fell in battle. On April 6, 2017, Flanders Field Post BE02 implemented an adoption initiative to honor Americans buried in British Commonwealth war cemeteries throughout Belgium. The “Adopt a U.S. Tommy” initiative gives Belgians, Americans and citizens of the British Commonwealth the opportunity to adopt one of the 500-plus graves of a World War I or World War II soldier buried or memorialized in Commonwealth war graves or on the Menin Gate in Ieper, Belgium.