A total of 451 American Children are buried in Kaiserslauten. Most of these died between 1952-1971. Nearly all died before they were 3 months old from pulmonary distress.These are the children of parents stationed by the Army and Air Force at the near by bases.Presently, the Kindergraves are under the care of the Ramstein Area Chief's Group and the German-American & International Women's Club. They are helped by virtually hundreds of volunteers each year in maintaining the site. Each year they host a Kindergraves memorial ceremony which lands on the Saturday following Mother's Day. This brief ceremony includes comments from the KMC Military Commander, the Mayor of Kaiserslautern or designate, and the German-American & International Women's Club president, in addition to the blessings, candle lighting, wreath laying and singing. One of their goals is to replace the worn, unreadable grave markers. Last year they were able to raise enough funding to replace 44 markers at a price of $4,500. The majority of the stones are in satisfactory shape, however, it is estimate that up to 25 more stones are in need of replacement this year. The problem is mostly weathering and the fact that the quality of the initial stones was poor. They are buying high quality stones from outside the area that have better durability and will last for decades to come, so that these children known as The Littlest Raiders are not forgotten.
A total of 451 American Children are buried in Kaiserslauten. Most of these died between 1952-1971. Nearly all died before they were 3 months old from pulmonary distress.These are the children of parents stationed by the Army and Air Force at the near by bases.Presently, the Kindergraves are under the care of the Ramstein Area Chief's Group and the German-American & International Women's Club. They are helped by virtually hundreds of volunteers each year in maintaining the site. Each year they host a Kindergraves memorial ceremony which lands on the Saturday following Mother's Day. This brief ceremony includes comments from the KMC Military Commander, the Mayor of Kaiserslautern or designate, and the German-American & International Women's Club president, in addition to the blessings, candle lighting, wreath laying and singing. One of their goals is to replace the worn, unreadable grave markers. Last year they were able to raise enough funding to replace 44 markers at a price of $4,500. The majority of the stones are in satisfactory shape, however, it is estimate that up to 25 more stones are in need of replacement this year. The problem is mostly weathering and the fact that the quality of the initial stones was poor. They are buying high quality stones from outside the area that have better durability and will last for decades to come, so that these children known as The Littlest Raiders are not forgotten.
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