Restoration of the Cunel monument

Hello all.

My name is Eric Mueller, and I am again raising funds for the restoration of a monument to fallen American soldiers from the First World War. Near the large Meuse Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne is the small village of Cunel. Next to the village church is a memorial dedicated to three men who were killed during the war. Their names are Ens. Robert F. Clark, 1st Lt. Charles H Fiske III, and 2nd Lt. Aaron D. Weld.

All three grew up in Boston where they were childhood friends. They all attended prep school and Harvard together, and like many men of that era, they left school to join the American war effort in Europe. They did this out of a profound feeling of duty toward the preservation of democracy in America's first ally, France. Robert Clark became a naval aviator, but was killed in a training accident off the coast of Brest in western France. Charles Fiske was a 1st Lt with the 28th Infantry Division, and was mortally wounded in fighting near Fismette, France in August of 1918. Aaron Weld was a 2nd Lt with the 3rd Infantry Divsion, and was killed in action in October 1918, just south of Cunel while leading his men in an assault on the German defensive line.

After the war, the families decided to erect a monument to honor their sons, and chose Cunel because Lt. Weld was the last of the three friends to die, and his death occurred near the village. Cunel was mostly destroyed during the fighting, but after it was rebuilt, the monument was constructed and used as a watering trough for the local horses. The water no longer flows, but the names of these three brave men remain. As you can see from the photo, the memorial is in desperate need of cleaning and some minor work. I have restored several monuments in this area over past years, and have used a local company when power cleaning is required. They do excellent, careful work, so I intend to use them again. I have received permission from the Mayor of Cunel to proceed, and am planning to have this work completed by Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 2025.

Rest assured that every cent of your donation will be put toward this project. Please consider a donation to the memory of these three men, and indeed for all of our sons who went to France and died so many years ago.

Thank you.