#Monument
"9 September 1944, We Shall Never Forget" Memorial
The US memorial ’9 September 1944 – We will never forget’ in Pétange is dedicated to 2nd Lieutenant Hyman Josefson. He was recorded as the first US soldier to lose his life on Luxembourg territory. He died on 9 September 1944, the first day of American troops crossing the French border area, liberating parts of southern Luxembourg.
The memorial consists of a stone pedestal with engraved American Eagle. Adjacent is an enamel signpost with the inscription:
‘2nd Lt. Hyman Josefson, First American Soldier KIA for the Liberation of Pétange and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, September 9, 1944’.
Additionally, an M-8 Greyhound armoured reconnaissance car, as used by Josefson and his crew, stands on almost the exact site where 2nd Lt. Josefson died. His Greyhound was hit by a German anti-tank gun at the former Wax mill.
Nearby, a documentation centre has a number of original photographs and documents of the Liberation of Pétange.
Every year on 9 September, a torch-lit ceremony takes place in Pétange and around the memorial. This takes place to pay tribute to the First American Soldier to die for the liberty of Luxembourg.
Rue de l'Eglise, L-4732 Pétange
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