JACKSONVILLE, AL — The Annual Prisoner of War (POW) Memorial Ceremony at Fort McClellan’s World War II German-Italian Cemetery, scheduled for November 16, 2025, has been canceled, according to the Fort McClellan EPW Cemetery Council.
In a notice shared Monday, ceremony facilitator Tom Gilbert said the council withdrew its request to hold the event on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) property after learning of a new federal requirement for foreign dignitariesattending public ceremonies. The requirement—described by council representatives as a 28-item personal-information submission and background check—was characterized as guidance handed down above the VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA).
Gilbert said the council was briefed on the policy during a Sept. 17, 2025 teleconference with NCA leadership and a Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs. During that call, VA officials reportedly told organizers the change stemmed from broader national security guidance and that no exemptions or waivers were available. According to the council’s account of the conversation, officials said, “It is about the totality of national security, and that guidance has been pushed down; this is not an NCA policy,” and, “We have asked if there’s any exemptions, we’ve been told no.”
Council members said the new process would ask regular international participants—most of whom serve in the U.S. on military installations and carry diplomatic passports—to submit sensitive personal details. The ceremony traditionally includes representatives from Germany and Italy who are assigned, respectively, to Redstone Arsenal and Fort Rucker.
Fort Rucker was renamed Fort Novosel in April 2023 to honor a Medal of Honor recipient, then reverted to its historic name Fort Rucker in July 2025 to honor a World War I hero of the same name.
The Fort McClellan EPW cemetery, established in 1943, is the resting place of 26 German and 3 Italian soldiers. The annual remembrance has been held since World War II—formerly by the U.S. Army while Fort McClellan was active, and since the post’s 1999 closure by local citizens following the Army’s traditional program. The ceremony typically features the JSU ROTC Color Guard, flags placed at each grave, and wreath-laying by U.S., Italian, and German representatives. Organizers said more than 90 people attended in 2024.
The site is owned and maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, under the Alabama National Cemetery Office in Montevallo. The council praised the local VA cemetery staff’s stewardship, noting the cancellation stems from policy guidance at the national level, not local administration.
This year’s cancellation marks the first time since WWII that the remembrance will not be held publicly at Fort McClellan, organizers said.
