Life in Europe is really different from life in the U.S. Every time I am there, I get to experience new things, visit new places, and become more immersed in how the European people (especially the Dutch!) honor our World War II soldiers. The things I see and take part in never cease to amaze me. Often because we do nothing like those things in the U.S. We don’t have commemorations like they do in Europe. We don’t have old guilds and people dressed in medieval clothing performing ceremonies to open Congress. It is a whole different world there and one I deeply love.
In September and October I had the opportunity to attend two World War II commemorations. The first was on 20 September in Nijmegen at the Waal River Crossing Commemoration. At this event the Airborne Troops who fought in the Nijmegen area and helped liberate the country were honored and remembered. Flags were flown, speeches given (in Dutch primarily), school children from a nearby school attended to read poems they wrote and lay flowers at the monument for the Airborne, Taps was played and wreaths laid.
On 7 October, I attended the Commemoration for the Airborne at Heteren, near the famous Band of Brothers Crossroads. A similar ceremony was held with flags flying, speeches given, school children reading poems, laying flowers and wreaths, Taps was played and wreaths laid. The difference at this commemoration was my fiancé’s 101st Airborne re-enactment group attended and acted as Color Guard and doves were released at the end. That added another dimension to the ceremony.
How do we engage children in World War II History?
- Take them to ceremonies and commemorations. Help them understand why we are honoring the soldiers, sailors or Marines.
- Take them to visit the American Battle Monument Commission (ABMC) Cemeteries, especially if you have adopted a grave. Help them create a story about the adopted soldier, or any soldier they are drawn to when they visit.
- Encourage special programs at school on D-Day, VJ-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Liberation Day and other important days.
- Talk to your children about the history of World War II. Explain what a different world we would live in if the other side had won.
Do you have other ideas on how to engage children in World War II research to preserve the stories? Please share in the comments.
I am taking new clients at this time if you are interested in working with a researcher to pull records for any military branch. I’m also scheduling speaking appearances in Europe for 2017. Please contact me if your group is interested in a program. I have seven to choose from on my website.
© 2016 World War II Research and Writing Center
I did publish a book about my dad’s unit, the
There are more sides of this story you have to tell. There is never just one version. You must tell ours and what happened to us.
We walk the camps day and night. You know we are there. We rise from the gas chambers, ovens, execution pits, beds, fields, and woods. Our souls yearn for peace. We did nothing to deserve this, and yet we are stuck here too.
Where is there peace in this camp? Some who survived eventually forgave their captors. Did they forgive themselves for living when others died? Did they make something of their spared lives? Or did they too rot away and turn to dust as we did?
The same can be said for World War II research. We have a starting point which could be a story, a soldier, a photograph, an artifact, or an event. When we choose to take the journey of that research, we travel a bumpy, twisty, often obstacle ridden road. Along that road we meet many people who enrich our experience and help us continue to move forward. We gather clues as we travel and uncover secrets buried deep in the recesses of the past. Exploring these secrets and revealing them can cause a turning point for many.
We stood at the crossroads in a sacred place full of love, strength and power. Two hearts joined again in this life which had been separated. In that moment they joined the past with the present. The fear with the love. The desire with hope. The impossible with the possible. Laughter, harmony, peace, joy, and love all mingled together at those crossroads. It was time to make a choice – return to the past or live in the present. Heal the pain and create a new future or remain stuck standing between two worlds across time and space. And all of this was orchestrated by someone long gone but never forgotten. Someone who knew her heart and how to heal her as she had healed him. There was still much to be done and this was only the first step.
It would not be an easy journey and the two may part ways at another crossroads, as often happens when we travel long roads. People greet us for only part of our travels while others stay. Those who stay often have different roles along the route. They provide laughter, a release. Love, acceptance, support, strength. They teach and provide clues for us to follow to piece together the vast puzzle of our journey.
The dark door was closed which was a sign to her that this path was not an option. She was being protected from going so deeply into the darkness. Her choice must be to forgive and move into the light and release the past. What took place in that doorway in the past was closed and sealed. He could no longer hurt her. She was stepping into more of her power and was protected and loved by so many. Taking the man’s hand in front of the open door, they stepped through together into a room that went on forever and was full of light.
What is the next step on her journey? To write the stories that people will remember. To write so people will learn how to capture and share their stories to heal the world. We are all connected in this giant web of life. My story is your story and through sharing, we all grow and heal in love.
There are those we meet on our journey into the mists from the crossroads. Those who give us tremendous healing. Traveling to the place where a loved one was lost forever is a solemn moment. Walking in the woods where James was killed was a moment in time I will never forget. It will stay with me forever. Walking across the spongy ground among the tall, silent trees swaying gently in the breeze under a sad, cloudy sky. Hearing whispers on the wind of thanks for coming to these woods. Whispers which reminded me I have a job to do. A job for which I was chosen. Whispers of appreciation because those who walk among the early morning mists know I will help tell their stories so they will not be forgotten. They have done their job and now it is time for me to continue mine. The writing will not be easy. The stories will be sad but through them we all heal. Letting go of the past does not mean we release all the parts of us that make us special. Letting go does not mean we give up gifts we are given in this lifetime. Letting go allows us to step more fully into our magic and power to create a better world tomorrow.
I spent time last November with the 104th Division Friends of the Timberwolves group. They dedicated an entire day to showing me their museum, taking me for a ride in a WWII jeep around the countryside in the Netherlands where the 104th liberated villages, and provided me with a lot of printed history to take home to read.
6. Many adopt American graves at one of the European ABMC cemeteries for WWI or WWII.
