Today, the American Battle Monuments Commission and its nonprofit partner, the American Battle Monuments Foundation, paid tribute to George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette with wreath-laying ceremonies at their final resting places at Mount Vernon, Virginia, and Picpus Cemetery in Paris, honoring their courage, leadership, and unwavering belief in the promise of America.

The date marks 249 years since Lafayette’s arrival in America. Together with Washington—who would become his mentor, commander, and lifelong friend—he helped secure American independence and laid the foundation for a partnership between the United States and France that has endured for nearly two and a half centuries.

At Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon, remarks were delivered by ABMC Commissioner Dorothy “Deecy” Gray; Deputy Defense Cooperation Armament Attaché at the French Embassy in Washington, ICA Thomas Verchere; and Executive Director of the Society of the Cincinnati F. Anderson Morse. At Picpus Cemetery, ABMC Executive Director for Operations Tom Spoehr, along with Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, Col. Gabriel Chinchilla and his incoming replacement, Col. Mike Wise, rendered honors at Lafayette’s grave.

It was there, at Picpus Cemetery, on July 4, 1917, that General John J. Pershing and the newly arrived American Expeditionary Forces paid tribute to Lafayette shortly after arriving in France as the United States entered World War I. Standing before Lafayette’s tomb, Colonel Charles E. Stanton delivered four words that would echo through history:

“Lafayette, we are here!”

His words signified not only the arrival of American troops, but also a declaration of gratitude and a reaffirmation of friendship. As France had stood with America in its fight for independence nearly 140 years earlier, America had come to stand with France in defense of liberty.

These ceremonies served to connect those generations—from Washington and Lafayette to Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces—and to celebrate the enduring alliance that the United States and France continue to uphold today.

“In honoring Washington and Lafayette, we honor the conviction that free peoples do not stand alone,” said Gray. “We honor the belief that alliances forged in principle and strengthened through sacrifice can endure across centuries.”