Almost 800 officials, family members and guests gathered at the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignan, France Aug. 16, despite a morning of heavy rain, to pay tribute to the service members who gave their lives 80 years ago during Operation Dragoon.

“The liberation of Southern France is not as well-known as other operations, but it is no less important, and the sacrifices were no less,” said Johnny Matherne, Rhone American Cemetery superintendent. “I am privileged to commemorate and honor the service and sacrifice of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines every day.”

The heavy rain stopped, and the sun came out minutes before the opening of the ceremony, led by Matherne, who also placed the ABMC wreath alongside his daughter, Rosie.

Ceremony remarks were provided by Richard Strambio, Mayor of Draguignan; U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mike Wallace, Deputy Commanding General – Maneuver, 36th Infantry Division; French Secretary of State Patricia Miralles, Minister for the French Armed Forces, responsibility Veterans and Remembrance; and Denise Campbell Bauer, U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco.

“Americans visiting France during this 80^th anniversary year have been deeply touched by the genuine affection displayed by French citizens across this nation in remembering those who responded to their appeal for help and in transmitting the lessons learned from that period to younger generations,” said Bauer during her remarks.

At the conclusion of the remarks, representatives of the families present from the U.S. and U.K. placed wreaths alongside ABMC and official representatives from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of a series of allied military campaigns that changed the course of World War II, including operations at Anzio-Nettuno, the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, in June; the landings in the south of France during Operation Dragoon in August; as well as the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium and Luxembourg beginning in December.

Operation Dragoon’s objectives included capturing the ports of Toulon and Marseille, trapping the German 19th Army, and linking up with allied armies in the north. U.S. Twelfth and 15th Air Forces, plus British and French air units, rendered vital airlift and tactical air support throughout these operations. In less than a month, the Seventh Army had advanced 400 miles into France. It fought onward in multiple campaigns to victory in Germany in May 1945.

Rhone American Cemetery is located along the route where the U.S. Seventh Army drove up the Rhone Valley. The site was dedicated in 1956. It was initially established in August 1944, after the Seventh Army’s surprise landing in Southern France. Approximately 900 U.S. service members are buried at this site and another approximately 300 are memorialized on its wall of the missing. Most of them lost their lives in the liberation of the South of France in August 1944.

ABMC’s mission is to honor the achievements of the U.S. armed forces by preserving their legacy of service and by seeking new and innovative ways of reflecting the evolving nature of sacrifice. For more information on upcoming 80^th anniversary events at ABMC sites, visit www.abmc.gov.