Manila staff add 3 rosettes during Veterans Day events

The American Battle Monuments Commission placed bronze rosettes next to three names on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in Taguig City, Philippines, in conjunction with Veterans Day, signifying those service members have been accounted for.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Oct. 4 that U.S. Army 1st Lt. Herman J. Sundstad was accounted for. Sundstad, 26, of Perley, Minnesota, was a member of "Merrill's Marauders," or as the unit was officially known, the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional). He was buried on Nov. 11 in Lafayette, California.

ABMC Chairman Michael X. Garrett, who served with the 75th Ranger Regiment, which traces its lineage from Merrill's Marauders, placed the rosette next to Sundstad's name Nov. 10 during a tour of the cemetery.

ABMC Chairman Michael X. Garrett places the bronze rosette next to the name of 1st Lt. Herman J. Sundstad on the Tablets of the Missing Nov. 10 at Manila American Cemetery. Garrett served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, which traces its roots back to Sundstad's unit, "Merrill's Marauders."

U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr. and 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick were both assigned to the 320th Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force, and deployed in present day Papua New Guinea, in March 1944. Sheppick was the navigator and Kelly the bombardier onboard the B-24D Liberator "Heaven Can Wait."

Both airmen were identified in September. Kelly, 21, will be buried in his hometown of Livermore, California, on May 26, 2025. DPAA will publish the full accounting Sheppick's case upon completion of the family briefing.

ABMC Chairman Michael X. Garrett and MaryKay L. Carlson, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, place a bronze rosette next to the name of 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr. on the Tablets of the Missing Nov. 11 at Manila American Cemetery

During the Manila American Cemetery Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 11, Garrett and MaryKay L. Carlson, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, placed the rosette next to Kelly's name. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines Volunteers placed the rosette next to Sheppick's name.

A scout from Boy Scouts of the Philippines Volunteers salutes the name of 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick after placing a bronze rosette next to his name on the Tablets of the Missing Nov. 11 at Manila American Cemetery.

When a missing service member is recovered, identified and finally laid to rest, the ABMC places a rosette beside their name on the walls of the missing. This rosette, a symbol of eternity, is crafted as a bronze rosemary wreath-a timeless emblem of honor and victory. Encircled by the eight-points of a compass, it signifies America's commitment, reaching out in all directions to recover their remains from the farthest corners of the earth.

These rosettes were added to the more than 2,000 that have been placed beside the names of missing service members at ABMC sites around the world. The Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery include the names of 36,286 service members along with 497 rosettes.

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