Posted on 04/09/2016 12:20:20 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Europeans were grateful for Thomas Jefferson freeing their people.
Google Photos is a real pain in the a$$
Try this: https://picasaweb.google.com/VictorySpeedway/Bastogne2014MargratenHollandLiberationConcert
I know this first-hand.
When I was in the USAF I went from Turkey to Amsterdam in 1973 on “R&R.” We were not in uniform, but we were obviously GIs. We were treated VERY well by the local folks, especially those who had been through the war.
66,000 American soldiers buried in France. Both World Wars.
The Dutch may not have forgotten, but I fear too many Americans have.
And they largely hate us for it.
A lot of “American families” arrived well after WWII and have no connection and little interest in what previous generations did.
Thanks for the pics-—they are wonderful.
What an extraordinary experience that must have been.Lucky you.
The prayer in pic #17 is beautiful—and a keeper for me.
..
If you go to near where the battles took place, the French remember. I have worked with some engineers from France who described some of the places. There’s Paris, and then there is the rest of France.
I know.
I’ve done some reading on the Normandy landings. The best recently is about how the Germans experienced the landings and aftermath. One German officer, captured by the Allies, was allowed a look at one of the beaches as the armed forces swarmed over them. The officer was astonished. “Where,” he asked, “are the horses?”
The Wehrmacht was so inured to using horses for transportation, which gives an idea of the shape they were in, they had no idea of the nature of warfare that the US was about to unleash.
I was amazed.
Yes, they are absolutely serious in their gratitude, it's not some kind of show they put on for the tourists. Many of the Normandy residents are the same.
For what it’s worth, the most significant Dutch-involved battle of the war may have been the stand made by the Dutch SS division at Narva, Estonia in 1944, where they held off a Soviet offensive.
For short distances horses are the most reliable form of transportation there is but they do have there limitations.
Something else you may never have heard of at Normandy was Goliath. Google it, if interested.
“Sis picked up my dads military memorabilia this week. She has the storage room and six children who will treasure it ...”
Look into the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. You could have your dad’s story preserved for as long as there is a United States. This program has 100,000 stories from veterans. No veteran’s story is insignificant for our national posterity.
My dad was in the 101st Airborne in WWII and lost a leg in Holland. Starting with the 25th anniversary of the end of the war, the Dutch people started inviting the 101st group over. The Dutch people put them up in their homes. There were many visits back and forth over the years. The Dutch people were very appreciative of the sacrifices Americans had made for them.
“bearing Memorial Day bouquets for men and women they never knew”
We lost US women in Holland?
And yet, over FIVE THOUSAND Dutch men joined the German Army to fight on the Eastern Front.
Did Junior’s old man find out about the Holocaust, and if so what was his reaction?
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