Okay, a completely non-music related topic i had an urge to post and which by coincidence concides with your Memorial Day in the USA.
In the Netherlands on the 4th of May we mourn the dead from WWII (and other military conflicts) and on the 5th of May we celebrate Liberation Day on which day we celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands by the Allied Forces in the final days of WWII in Europe.
This year marks the 70th anniversary an therefor additional ceremonies were held and projects were launched to mark this anniversary. Due to age the numbers of WWII veterans that are able to attend are dwindling fast but still a lot of volunteers (most of which weren't alive back then) keep the memory alive.
Only miles from were i live is the American War Cemetery at the town of Margraten, Netherlands.
A very impressive and very well kept Cemetery which this weekend was the main focus of the 70th Anniversary activities. Our prime minister paid his respects at a well attended ceremony.
The American War Cemetery and Memorial Netherlands in Margraten, the Netherlands is the only American War Cemetery in the Netherlands. In this cemetery, 8,301 American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms of others during World War Two have been buried. The men and women buried here died, for example, during Operation Market Garden in September 1944 and during the Allied push into Nazi-Germany. Other than the 8,301 soldiers buried here, the names of another 1,722 American are inscribed on the Walls of the Missing.
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MARGRATEN, Netherlands — They haven’t forgotten. For 70 years, the Dutch have come to a verdant U.S. cemetery outside this small village to care for the graves of Americans killed in World War II.
On Sunday, they came again, bearing Memorial Day bouquets for men and women they never knew, but whose 8,300 headstones the people of the Netherlands have adopted as their own.
For the American relatives of the fallen, it was an outpouring of gratitude almost as stunning as the rows of white marble crosses and Jewish Stars of David at the Netherlands American Cemetery. Each grave has been adopted by a Dutch or, in some cases, Belgian or German family, as well as local schools, companies and military organizations. More than 100 people are on a waiting list to become caretakers.
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Some interesting websites / links:
http://www.margratenmemorialcenter.org/margraten/index_en.php
http://www.fallennotforgotten.nl/
http://www.basher82.nl/Data/margraten/Cemetery.htm
http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/netherlands-american-cemetery
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I stumbled across this newspaper article from the USA which kinda triggered me to make this lengthy topic:
"Photos sought of Middle Georgia soldiers buried in Europe"
By WAYNE CRENSHAW
wcrenshaw@macon.comFebruary 16, 2015
Wayne Crenshaw/The Telegraph
At American War Cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands, there are graves of many men from Middle Georgia who fought in World War II and never made it home.
There, in that cemetery, 10,023 Americans are buried or memorialized. Now, the Dutch want to have photos to go with the names etched on rows upon rows of white marble grave markers.
Photos have been collected for several years, but the effort has ramped up in the past year in preparation for a ceremony set for May. Sebastiaan Vonk, chairman of Foundation United Adopters American War Graves, said photos have been gathered for about 3,000 of the soldiers. Those have been secured by volunteers scouring the Internet and by families of the soldiers who have heard about the initiative and then uploaded photos.
“Now we are trying to reach out to families back in the U.S. through local newspapers, hoping to locate more photos in this way,” Vonk said in an email. “This will not get us all missing photos, but each photo means another name to which we can put a face.”
The photos will be placed by the graves from May 2-5, when the Netherlands recognizes the 70th anniversary of liberation from the Nazis.
The foundation’s purpose is to gather information about each American buried in the Netherlands or Belgium and put it in a database. The cemetery holds the graves of 8,301 Americans and 1,722 listed on the Wall of the Missing.
Vonk provided a list of the men from Georgia who are buried in the cemetery. None of those from Middle Georgia has a photograph.
Anyone who has a photo of those listed can upload it at www.thefacesofmargraten.com. More information about each soldier also can be found at the foundation’s database, www.fieldsofhonor-database.com.
Ten men from Bibb County are listed, and one of those is Capt. William A. “Duck” McKenna Jr., who was awarded the Silver Star twice. As the third-highest combat medal, it is a rarity to get one and especially rare to receive more than one.
McKenna’s nephew William McKenna Garvin lives in Macon and has photos of his uncle. Garvin said the only other relatives of McKenna still in the area are Garvin’s two sisters. McKenna’s daughter, born just before he left for the war, now lives in California.
Garvin was actually named after his grandfather and was born after his uncle died, but he has heard a lot about McKenna through the years. He has learned so much about the man he refers to as “Uncle Duck” that he became emotional when he started talking about how McKenna died. McKenna was killed by a sniper during a battle on Christmas Day in 1944. He was posthumously awarded a second Silver Star for his actions.
“He didn’t have to go out that day,” Garvin said. “But he said if his men were going, he was going to go, too.”
Garvin wasn’t aware of the foundation’s efforts when contacted by The Telegraph, but he said it means a lot to him that the Dutch people remember his uncle’s sacrifice.
“It would be a tremendous honor to realize that they recognize what he did,” Garvin said. “It’s a great tribute to him. He was quite a character and a heck of a good man.”
Today, the U.S. doesn’t bury fallen troops on foreign soil. But in World War II, the volume of deaths was so great and the war so intense, that logistically it wasn’t possible to bring all the fallen troops home. Many were buried in places like the cemetery in the Netherlands. The ones buried there weren’t necessarily killed in the Netherlands. Others were killed in Germany but weren’t buried there because that was enemy soil, Vonk said.
The reverence that locals have for those buried there dates back to the end of the war. Vonk’s foundation is focused on gathering information about the men, but since the end of the war, locals have cared for the graves by adopting certain ones.
“Out of heartfelt respect and gratitude, the graves’ adopters regularly visit the graves and decorate them with flowers,” according to a news release. “Many of the graves’ adopters also continue to correspond with the families of soldiers back home in the United States. They care for the graves of their loved ones has been a comfort to many of these families and the foundation of long-lasting friendships between Dutch and American families.”
Vonk said that reverence is not just for those who lived through the war.
“When I speak to people, they sometimes say that the youth no longer cares about the past and those who fought for their freedom,” he said in the release.
“I do not believe that. Many young Dutch people show an interest in the war and continue to visit these cemeteries, and many, like me, have adopted a grave and are volunteers for The Faces of Margraten tribute,” said Vonk, who is 22. “We will continue to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for many years to come.”
To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.
Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2015/02/16/3588213/photos-sought-of-middle-georgia.html#storylink=cpy
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And a brand new article from the same Macon's The Telegraph from yesterday:
MARGRATEN, Netherlands — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte paid tribute Sunday at a Memorial Day ceremony to U.S. troops who fought and died liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation in World War II, while NATO's supreme commander said the fight to defend freedom continues to this day.
Thousands of people sat under blue skies and wispy white clouds for Sunday's ceremony at the American cemetery in Margraten, a manicured patch of 65.5 acres (26.5 hectares) in the rolling hills of the southern province of Limburg that contains 8,301 headstones.
The cemetery is on land close to the Dutch border with Germany that was liberated from Nazi occupation on Sept. 13, 1944, by the U.S. 30th Infantry Division.
"We say thank you to our liberators," Rutte said. "Thank you for enabling us to stand here today in freedom, and we bow our heads in memory of the fallen."
Among the thousands of people attending the solemn ceremony were orphans of soldiers who were buried or are listed as missing at Margraten.
Arthur Chotin, whose father was killed in a jeep accident in the aftermath of the war and is buried at Margraten, thanked Dutch families who have adopted all of the graves at the cemetery, helping to keep alive the memory of the dead.
"Even though I didn't know him, I think of him almost every day. What he missed and what my mother and I missed," Chotin said. "So here I am. 70 years old, more than twice the age of the father I never played catch with, never argued with, never even hugged. And the single thought in my mind today is that I hope he would be proud of me.
"Oh, the power these dead have over those they left behind."
NATO's supreme commander, U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, reminded the crowd that the freedom Allied soldiers died defending in World War II cannot be taken for granted. "Recent world events have shown us the concept of armed conflict in Europe remains possible," he said.
"We must be vigilant if we are going to preserve democracy and freedom," Breedlove said. "It is important that we celebrate the courage of the youth of yesterday but we must also support the youth of today as our service members continue to defend the values forever enshrined here."
Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2015/05/24/3762545_dutch-prime-minister-thanks-american.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
I always remember my Mother telling me the only time she ever saw my Dad shed a tear was, when they met a Dutch couple when on holiday in Spain and the lady asked Dad, had he ever visited Holland? Dad said he'd been there in the war and the lady took his hand and thanked him. This letter was sent to his aunt in the north of England from "somewhere in Holland" and is dated 28 October 1944.
Thanks for posting this. My stepfather was a member of the 101st Airborne Division. which participated in the invasion of the Netherlands on Sept. 17, 1944 as part of Operation Market Garden. He was 22 when he parachuted into the country that day. He never talked much about his service in the war. He was a medic with the 101st Airborne. One story I remember is that he told me that he never flew in a plane that landed until October 1967 when he flew to Puerto Rico. As a paratrooper in training, he always had to jump out of the plane every time it went up.
I second njwolf too. Thank you for the post ADF. A friend of mine sent me an email about a Dutch family that honors the grave of this American soldier every Memorial Day. I was very touched.
Below is a link to the soldier. He was captured during the Battle Of The Bulge and sadly died in a prison camp.
Thanks for sharing this - I never knew such a cemetery existed In Holland for Americans who died there in WWII. Quite a touching story...
Thanks for sharing this. Had no idea.
thanks for sharing this post with us...
They have the same type of cemetery for Canadian soldiers.
I was at a ceremony earlier this week in Ottawa for a visit from the Dutch King and Queen. The speech the King gave was very moving and the Dutch have never stopped thanking Canada. They hid Royalty in Canada during WWII and Canada flew their flag at a time when it couldn't be done in their country. Canada's losses in helping to liberate the Dutch were huge and have never been forgotten on either side of the ocean.
Each year in Ottawa, the tulips are beautiful and a reminder of the bond between the countries and all the soldiers that defended freedom. A gift from the Dutch that is a natural tribute and a show of thanks that comes back each year.
The respect that the Dutch show Canada each year is touching. Class act all the way.
[Edited on 5/30/2015 by CanadianMule]
That cemetery is amazing as is the story behind it. Thanks for posting.
