Sailors from Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), service members from Italy, local government and United States officials came together for a Memorial Day ceremony at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Italy, May 29.

Joint U.S. military and Italian platoons, the Italian Army Band, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band attended the ceremony to honor and pay tribute to the fallen warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice during the liberation of Sicily in 1943.

Quote:

"It is such a great honor to participate in this humbling ceremony which commemorates the brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice to provide peace and liberty for their generation and generations that followed." - Cmdr. Timothy Moore, commanding officer, USS Donald Cook (DDG 75)

Quick Facts:

Italian and U.S. dignitaries participated in a wreath-laying ceremony, honoring the 7,861 buried and the 3,095 still missing.

Donald Cook is currently on a forward-deployed patrol, working with allies and regional partners to help develop and improve our maritime forces, maintain regional security, and work towards mutual goals in order to advance security and stability in Europe.

Donald Cook, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit http://www.navy.mil/.