Flemish Children Honor Fallen U.S. Soldiers In Song

by Teri Schultz, NPR

The smallest of the official American war cemeteries, just 368 graves, is Flanders Field in Belgium, made famous by the poem written in 1915. The tiny city closest to the cemetery is Waregem, and every year since 1919 (except for four years during the WWII occupation) Flemish schoolchildren have learned and performed the Star-Spangled Banner in English on Memorial Day weekend. The mayor of the town was himself one of the "singing children of Waregem" as they are called and is said to be very proud of the tradition.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, May 25, 2009