Thoughts on WWII

I am at a loss for words to describe my feelings and emotions after visiting the Netherlands American Cemetery and participating in their Memorial Day ceremonies.

It seems that, to many Americans, Memorial Day has become just another Holiday. Most Americans look at it as a day off work and a reason to fire up the grill and have a party. I must say, with deep regret, that I had fallen into that mentality myself. That is not what this day is intended to be. This is a day to remember and mourn those Americans that gave their life in defense of freedom throughout the world. My realization came not at a ceremony in the states but a ceremony and tribute held in another country, the Netherlands. The Dutch people pay more respect to our fallen heroes than I have every seen at any time in the States. The American Netherlands Cemetery is located in Margraten, Netherlands. There are 8301 American Heroes buried there and over 1700 soldiers remembered as missing in action.

I was given the distinct honor of representing the American WWII Orphans Network at the ceremony by presenting a wreath in honor of all those buried there.  I was given this honor because my grandpa, Pfc Joseph Lucas, is buried there. Me and my family visited the cemetery on Saturday, 23 May in order to pay our respects privately to my grandfather and the other 8300 heroes buried there. Much to my grateful surprise it was not to be a private tribute. There were hundreds of Dutch citizens  at the cemetery on Saturday doing the same as my family; paying respect and laying flowers at the graves. I didn’t expect to see so many people of a foreign country paying respect to our US soldiers. My first clue on Saturday was when we drove into the cemetery and saw that the parking lot was so full, they were parking people in the grass along the driveway entrance. However, it wasn’t until the next day at the ceremony that I realized why so many Dutch were there on Saturday.

There were several speeches given during the ceremony but the most respectful and emotional were the ones given by the Dutch representatives. They talked of freedom, respect and sacrifice. Their words were directed to the heroes buried at the cemetery and their families; for it was their loss that gave freedom back to the citizens of the Netherlands. It has been 65 years since WWII ended and we are into the 2nd and 3rd generations of those that fought and lived through that war. Regardless of the years that have past since that epic war, each generation of the Dutch was represented throughout the weekend. On Saturday I saw Dutch of all ages placing flags and flowers at the graves which they have adopted. These same people flooded into the cemetery on Sunday for the official ceremony. Sitting in my spot among the other wreath layers, I looked to my left and right and all I could see was a sea of people watching and listening to the ceremony. I looked out beyond the crowds and into the plots of the cemetery and there were hundreds of people still walking around the graves paying their respects. I have never seen such a tribute to our fallen soldiers as I saw this past Sunday in Margraten.It wasn’t just the Dutch that attended the ceremony. As we parked our car and walked through hundreds of other parked cars at the cemetery I noticed license plates from Belgium, France, Germany, and Luxemburg.  These people lived through the tyranny that overtook Europe 65 years ago and they will not forget those that gave their lives in the name of freedom.

I will no longer look at Memorial Day as just another holiday and I will no longer attend parties and barbeques on this day. For the next 3 years, while I’m in Europe, I will attend the ceremonies at Margraten and the other American cemeteries in Europe. I will use the weekend to pay tribute and remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of the US and other countries of the world.