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Tips for Writing the D-Day Story

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Many people are soon heading to Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Perhaps you are one of those people. Maybe you have a trip planned for another time when it is less crowded and you can more easily take in the sights, sounds, and emotions of the places your family member fought, and possibly died. It’s also possible you have been to Normandy or the European Theater to walk in your soldier’s footsteps and are now preparing to write that story. I have a few tips for you before you start writing, or to assist you as you write.

Never Assume….Get the Facts

The Family Story. Many people start research or a story with the family story they heard about their service member. Those family stories may contain grains of truth, whole truth, or no truth, which is why it is important to do the actual research.

In my family, my grandma told me our Frank Winkler fought with the 29th Division on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He received head wounds and later died of those wounds. Turns out this was almost all incorrect.

Frank Winkler

Frank actually came into the 29th Division 115th Infantry Regiment as a Replacement Soldier on 23 June 1944 north of St. Lo. He was killed by a gunshot wound to the right lobe within 24 hours of being in that unit. He never stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Do you see how family stories may not be 100% accurate? You can read his story in my book Stories of the Lost.

Assuming the Unit based on death record or discharge paper is the only unit. A lot of clients have come to me saying they have a unit but could find nothing about it in combat or that their family member was in combat with that unit. The unit they were talking about came off a death file (IDPF) or discharge paper. Some people assume this unit they discover was the only unit and whole truth of the combat story. Most of the time this is incorrect.

Men normally moved through many different units and sometimes a Replacement Depot unit (or two or three or four). The unit they saw combat with may not be on the discharge. They may have seen combat with a couple different units, while being wounded in between and shifted around. Always do the research to find out the true timeline of events for a service member and his/her units. Learn more about Discharge papers in my article WWII Discharge Paper Doesn’t Have all the Answers.

Write the recollections, gather information and memories, photos, etc. Whether you are talking about Normandy or any other battle and war, gather all the information, memories, emotions, photos, artifacts a family has collected. Each of those things provides clues.

Are you ready to write the story but not sure where to begin? My webinar with workbooks, coaching session and bonus webinar can help! Explore everything you receive in my writing program, Words That Heal. The Power of a Veteran’s Story.

Travel Tips. If you are traveling anywhere your service member served, take a lot of photos to add to the story you will write or have someone else write. Photos of battlefields, signs, monuments, cemeteries, places you stay, people you meet. All of these things add flavor and emotion to the stories you write, which will make people want to read them.

Jennifer Holik, Normandy American Cemetery April 18, 2015 with red journal. First trip to Europe before I began living between Chicago and Amsterdam.

Keep a daily journal of your trip. Every trip I took to Europe, especially when I was living there and traveling, I carried a journal and my fountain pens with me everywhere I went. Always ready to capture my thoughts, some questions, the emotions of what came through, and my encounters with the dead. Keeping a daily journal allows you to add those real time emotions, questions, and ideas about the journey, the service member, and the story. Plus it is easier to look back and know when something happened rather than trying to rely on your memory of an important trip. Be sure to also pick up guidebooks, postcards, brochures, and other things along the way. Also, each evening before bed, write out a summary of your day, noting those important moments and how you felt.

Add yourself to the story. A lot of people write books about their service member and it turns out to be like a biography or sometimes historical fiction. Have you considered writing the story and adding yourself to it? Ask yourself,

  • Why is this service member important to me?
  • Why do I feel called to walk in his/her footsteps?
  • How has this individual impacted or changed my life?
  • What did I learn on this journey?
  • What did I heal on this journey?
  • What did my family member say from beyond the veil as I undertook the entire journey (research, travel, writing, healing)?
  • How can my experiences help others (travel, research, write, heal)?

Ask Family Members for Help. If you travel with family members, or they are helping you research, ask them to write pieces of the story. These might be short memories about the service member if they knew the person. Possibly their travel experience or emotions that arose. Perhaps the peace they received walking in the footsteps.

When I traveled to Europe the first time April-May 2015, I walked in the woods near Bras, Belgium where my cousin and spirit guide, James Privoznik was KIA 11 January 1944 (358th Infantry Regiment 90th Division). My mom told our guides that day, Jennie let go of a lot of baggage in those woods. She really needed to do that.

I will never forget my mom said that and how true it was. James helped me through a lot from 2012-2015 (and beyond) and I carried a lot of grief for our family’s war dead, those who came home damaged in some way, and all the others I had researched by that point. That day was life changing for me.

Have you traveled and written your stories? What other tips would you add? Please comment below!

Are You Ready to Start Writing and Researching?

Are you ready to write the story but not sure where to begin? My webinar with workbooks, coaching session and bonus webinar can help! Explore everything you receive in my writing program, Words That Heal. The Power of a Veteran’s Story.

I would love to help you research the stories of your family members from World War I – Vietnam. If you are ready to start a research or writing project, email me at info@wwiirwc.com and let’s set up a free phone consultation. I’m excited to help you bring your family’s military history to life and preserve it for generations.

© 2024 WWII Research & Writing Center

Book Review: Ajax, The Dutch, The War

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A little background on me before I dive into the book review.

By 2015 my healing journey & military work allowed me to travel in Europe & create a life both there & in Chicago. I became embedded in Dutch society, life, relationships, healthcare, politics, culture, got a deep dive into grief when I became a caregiver to someone I was married to in the Netherlands.  All of that gave me a unique perspective on our world & the layers of trauma we each carry, no matter where we live.

I visited battlefields & burial sites, religious & cultural sites, heard family & war stories, some of which brought me to my knees in grief as I channeled the people telling the stories. I understand context that many people do not. This makes me unique in the way I can help clients heal on both sides of the ocean to explore their personal & ancestral family patterns & war trauma. I have studied & understand genealogy & military records, & what information, secrets, patterns, inherited trauma, feelings, & emotions they may share.

I’m both an outsider and yet, not quite an outsider. I question everything.

Book Review

Please note the author makes it clear the original Dutch version is not as expanded as the later written English version. He conducted more interviews and did more research for the English version. If you want to entire story, read the English version.

I’m not a huge fan of sports to be honest. I did attend several Sparta Rotterdam games and watched a lot of Chelsea (UK) football when I was married and living in the Netherlands. Before that I mostly watched sports with my boys on occasion. However, I really enjoyed this book, Ajax, The Dutch. The War. It really gave me a different look at Dutch culture, the war, how and why some commemorate everything about the war (that comes from guilt and shame primarily from what I gleamed in this book), and put many puzzle pieces together of things I intuitively sensed, but the people I surrounded myself with either denied or ignored. There is a cultural narrative to uphold that a good Dutch citizen can’t deviate from. I have seen this cultural narrative in every country, including the U.S. Isn’t it time we stop following the narrative and be honest and heal?

Traveling in Europe, living in the Netherlands, exploring different cultures, being embedded in society, having attended numerous WWII commemorations and memorial services, and having a military research background, I got a different experience of the Dutch than I had after six years back and forth overseas. 

This book talks about Ajax, the Amsterdam football club and their ties to the local Jewish Community (pre-WWII annihilation.) The author shares stories about the Jewish players, what happened to them, how the club treated them, and what took place after the war. The author also tells stories of other country players from Germany, the UK, Italy. We learn how in many countries, especially the Netherlands, football was continued to be played because the country was occupied and not really at war, as compared to other countries, until the Allies arrived late 1944.

The author is not a born in the Netherlands Dutch man, although he did grow up in Leiden. He has an outsiders perspective of the “good” Dutch during the and the “bad” Dutch during the war based on the interviews he conducted and the research he did. How interesting it was to learn that the Dutch Institute for War Documentation in Amsterdam carries a lot of materials on the Resistance and very little on the Collaborators. I’ve often heard from Dutch friends how stupid and backwards Americans are because we rewrite our history, but they do the same thing. Every country does this. Hide the history you don’t want people to see because it might change how outsiders view you.

The author explained the pillars of Dutch society from centuries ago and how they were always taught to OBEY. CONFORM. Be LAW ABIDING. DO NOT SHINE TOO BRIGHT. NEVER ASK QUESTIONS. This type of cultural programming was reinforced during the war and the Dutch citizens ended up being taken over by the Germans and helped them round up the Jews. Yes, there was resistance but the way the author explains it, many citizens barely knew there was a war on because they continued with life as normal, outside of Rotterdam which had been bombed, and until late 1944 when the Allies arrived to shake up the country, and then the Hunger Winter took place before the north was liberated. The Dutch really didn’t suffer as they say they did until the Allies arrived. The way I have always heard it, the Dutch suffered the entire war, but if you honestly look at the timeline……I question that. Was there fear there? Yes. Was there constant daily destruction the entire time they were occupied? No. The author gives some compelling evidence of all of this.

The author shares so many stories and so much research, it really made me question everything I knew about the war in the Netherlands, or any country really. Since I read this book, several other books and resources have shown up to give me a different perspective of the war, especially in Germany. I invite you to question everything you were taught and consider changing your mind and possibly healing the past.

It was interesting to read about the football clubs ongoing games in the country, throughout Europe and the UK as the war was raging. Football it seems never really ended. The author shares where in the Netherlands and at which football stadiums you find war memorials. And which you do not because the club wants to hide their past.

I would say the overall theme of the book is how did the Dutch really function during the war? The author argues: “Intellectually most Dutch people who think about the war know the Netherlands was cowardly and grey. Yet, as Orwell said, it is possible to know and not know at the same time. Alongside this knowledge there survives a hardy popular fantasy of a heroic little land where everyone was in the Resistance, Asterix’s village writ large. This is the story the Dutch prefer to tell foreigners.”

That is the story I have always been told, yet this book made me question all of it.

Have you read this book? There is so much I could say about it but that would skew your opinion if you read it. If you looked at my copy, it is tabbed up with colorful tabs – probably about 50 and the pages are written on and passages underlined. I had a lot of strong emotions move through me as I read this book. Not only because I lived in the Netherlands and listened to the stories, attended the events and bought into their version of the narrative, but also because it opened up space for me to question and change my perspective on the entire war and all the people involved. It opened space for healing to come through for me, for them, the past, and the trauma that still resides there.

Honestly if you read this book, it is one you could go back to again and see the deeper layers of history – especially as it has repeated today. As I have watched the Dutch news since March 2020, I see so many similarities between WWII and this global war today. I understand how their culture and personal/cultural/collective trauma forms the individuals as it does. No judgment, just witnessing the past and present. Wondering how their society will change in the future. No matter which country you live in, you will learn something from this book.

Since reading this book and having gone through everything I did in Europe, more of my experience and journey makes sense. All those intuitive hits I got that I couldn’t figure out or they wouldn’t fit into the giant puzzle that is my life – now they do.

If you enjoy learning the non-politically correct narrative of a subject, exploring different perspectives, have an open mind which invites change, I highly recommend this book. 

If you would like to explore more of your stories and how your ancestors and culture affects you, sign up for my course, Exploring Family Patterns and Stories. It might just change how you look at yourself and your family.

© 2021 WWII Research & Writing Center

Surprising Details in IDPFs

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Last week I had a conversation with a couple of military researchers about the how, why, when, of burials post-1951, in the ABMC cemeteries and how the NOK (next of kin) was identified. My primary knowledge of Graves Registration Service ends after 1951, although I understand some of how our recovered service members have been handled and buried the last decade since I have worked with several researchers and spoken to people who worked for JPAC/DPAA and whatever other names the organization has gone by over the years. One question was why were some of these men buried in the Ardennes ABMC cemetery when their fellow soldiers were in other cemeteries. Another topic we’ve been discussing is the cost of repatriation. Both files have documents which outline the costs in the late 1970s. Most, not all, IDPFs from WWII and WWI Burial Files, also have documents outlining costs.

This morning I felt called to write another article and opened up my spreadsheet of IDPF (Individual Deceased Personnel Files) notes and pulled up a file for a soldier with a surname beginning with G. Interestingly, as often happens to me, another soldier will speak out and ask that I read his file. So, Aloysius Gonsowski Jr.’s file was opened. His led me to George J. Renda’s file. Both men were part of the 7th Armored Division and considered MIA and later deemed unrecoverable. Both men were recovered in the late 1970s. You can download their files below.

Challenges in Locating NOK in the 1970s

Whether we are talking 1970s or any time period prior to mass digitization of records online or even the availability of using email, we know genealogy research and finding NOK was difficult. Many researchers complain today that not all the genealogy or military records are available online. They complain that identification and location of NOK for WWI or WWII or even Vietnam recovered service members take forever. If you read these files, you will get a better understanding of how research was done pre-internet. You may even gain a greater appreciation for the WWII associations and groups that formed and their role in finding NOK.

Reading the files you’ll see phone books were a primary source to locate possible NOK. Veterans were willing to ‘walk the streets’ to find relatives so a body would not go unclaimed. WWII Associations also had some records of those who served, those who died, and those who were still considered Missing.

For those who have complained the Veterans Administration (VA) takes forever now to answer research requests (I’m still waiting on several from 2014), read Gonsowski’s file to learn how even then they “lost” files. In both IDPFs you’ll see information on when files were transferred to the VA, so one would think they are there somewhere.

I think it doesn’t matter the time period – we see government agencies “losing” files all the time. I know from experience sometimes it is just because they do not wish to do their jobs. They get paid regardless right? For some I suppose it does not matter if a family receives answers, healing, and closure.

ABMC Burials Post-1951

My knowledge until this morning for how American Graves Registration Service worked, was WWI to about 1951. I read the Field Manuals, read books written about the AGRS, memoirs of some WWII AGRS men, and even one about a Vietnam AGRS man. I even wrote about their records in several of my books and teach a class on this as part of my military seminars.

My focus was WWI-WWII primarily and I had little work with those being recovered today beyond a contribution here or there so it was not a primary research area for me. However, reading these files, I am getting a better understanding of which cemeteries were still accepting WWII burials long after the war, and why.

As you read these files and question why one man is buried where he is, instead of with his fellow unit soldiers, the IDPF may provide some answers. Gonsowski would have logically made sense to bury at Margraten in the Netherlands with other 7th Armored men. But Margraten was not open for burials in 1978. The Ardennes was. I have no answer as to why. If you know, please share with our readers and comment or email me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com.

One reason we question the why of a burial sometimes is that the ABMC databases do not provide the date of burial. Even databases with even greater information, like the Fields of Honor, do not have as a data field, the date of burial. A researcher without knowledge of AGRS records, burials, and ABMC regulations, may question this. Even with knowledge, there is always more to learn. We can find the burial dates in the IDPF or sometimes news articles will have that information. The WWII association, like the 7th Armored Division, may have and publish information on recovered soldiers.

What interesting things have you learned by reading these files? Please share in the comments.

What questions do you now have about your own family’s WWI or WWII war dead or Missing In Action service members? What questions do you have about how your family grieved and processed, or did not?

If you would like to explore more of this and have 1-1 attention on your research project and questions, please contact me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com and explore my private facilitation/coaching sessions which are great for working on your projects and helping you find answers.

Please visit the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School where I’m hosting classes, healing services, consultations, and more.

Download the IDPFs

GONSOWSKI, Aloysius Jr.

RENDA, George J.

© 2021 WWII Research & Writing Center

Exploring Cultural Beliefs – Do They Hold Us Back?

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A friend from the Netherlands sent me this article, How the Dutch Lost Their Shine. Let’s talk about cultural programming and ego for a moment as more is brought to the surface in global and spiritual disclosure for us to look at.

Every country has programming of their citizens. It is more obvious when we look at say, GER in WWII, but have you ever stopped to look at all the ways, for centuries, your country programs and manipulates you to believe you are the ELITE above all others? How they help individual egos grow? **There will be more coming on this site on how our WWII veterans were programmed as were their families and society near the end of the war and beyond. You might be surprised to learn what the belief system was in America from 1944 forward. You might better understand your veterans and why you and your family believes and behaves as they do. You might also become more aware of how the veteran experience is still with us today through inherited trauma and belief systems.

They may have come home, but they never really came home.

In the NL we see a lot of “If it ain’t Dutch it ain’t much.”, plastered on shirts, coffee mugs, etc. They have a long history of trade of many things going back centuries that made them “elite” in their day. That culture programming and trauma still carries forward today and most people don’t even see it.

As I traveled Europe for many years I was told the French hate Americans. The Dutch hate the Belgians or think they are stupid. This country doesn’t like that country because…and everyone hates Americans because (enter a multitude of reasons even though Americans saved Europe in both world wars….another program running on us.)

You have to stop and ask yourself if this is true or is the person telling me this stuff stuck in an old belief system he/she grew up with? Did their parents hate a certain country and its people because of World War II or World War I? Or even something that happened before those wars? Where did this hatred belief come from?

As we move deeper into this year and this decade, all this darkness of the ego and cultural programming, division, anger, hate, and negativity and hate WILL surface.

It is up to each of us to step back and look at how we contribute to the continuation of it. It is a choice to explore our belief systems, where they came from (ancestors, culture, etc) and CHANGE. Shift into a higher state of consciousness where there is no division or anger or hate programming.

What are you choosing and buying into? Just because someone who lives in another place has a belief about another group of people doesn’t mean you have to believe it.

We are all SOULS having a human experience here. Waking up and learning the lessons we came here to learn. No judgment…..just allowance of where we were functioning from and choosing something of a higher and more loving vibration.

All of life is a choice. If this article I shared offends or triggers you, makes you question things, FANTASTIC!!!

That means you have inner work to do. No matter where you live, because we can all see pieces of ourselves and countries within this article if we set the ego aside and go within to examine our beliefs without judgment.

I love you all.

Ask how I can help you uncover more of your family’s war stories and belief systems. Email Jennifer at info@wwiirwc.com to ask and explore some of my spiritual services at Finding the Answers Journey store.

© 2021 WWII Research & Writing Center

Freedom Museum, Groesbeek, The Netherlands

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Photo outside the former museum along the fence to hide the construction work.

I visited the Freedom Museum, formerly the National Liberation Museum ’44-’45, in Groesbeek, The Netherlands this week. This was my third visit to this location. My first was in 2015, where I visited on two separate trips and gave a talk about WWII research in their former auditorium. My second trip was in 2016.

The former museum felt more focused on the Airborne experience of the Dutch Liberation. The exhibits were good but not superb. It was well done but did not have the impact and power that the current museum has.

Part of the room lit in red.

When I walked into the new museum I was immediately taken by the power and impact it holds. The museum is rather dark now, dark blue walls in most places and the entire museum is now covered by what looks like a dark blue or black parachute. For the most part it works. The lighting is different in some areas of the museum, particularly the area that talks about the world war at the start when the U.S. was involved. It is a red lighted room with an enormous Nazi flag hanging in one area. The other side of the room contains brief info and images of what was taking place in the main parts of the world where the war was happening. This room in a sense gave the impression of how much blood was shed during the war years, around the globe.

What Should I Do? What Would You Do?

The museum had four small “rooms” in which they had a few artifacts and a short film asking the question, What Should I Do? Visitors can vote on one of three options. The rooms broached the topics:

  • An 18 year old man graduated from the police academy in Nijmegan after the Germans occupied the Netherlands. His choice was to work for the German police in Nijmegan and expel Jews from their homes. This was now part of his job – whatever the Germans say – he must do or lose his job.
  • A young woman about age 15 offers to push her baby brother around in the stroller and transport food coupons to her uncle Hans. Another family member was transporting coupons and was caught. She knows her uncle needs help – does she do this?
  • A young woman about age 16 has forged identity papers that show she is not a Jew. Her legal papers state she is. Her contact was not able to get forged papers for her mother and sister who are in hiding. Her contact was arrested and she doesn’t fully trust the new contact to ask for papers for her mom and sister so they can be out of hiding.
  • A young man near 20 years old has to work for the Germans. Forced labor or he can be taken in one of the Razzias. His choices are to go work or go into hiding (if he is caught he ends up executed or put into a camp) or join the Waffen-SS which provides a good income for his family until he’s killed.

I do not like the What would you do in my situation, questions that many museums and family and military researchers pose to students and family.

Why? Because we have the ability to look at the history that was written since the event took place. We know what happened, who the major players were and see it through our (2019) eyes. There is no way we can go back and step into the shoes of the person who lived through that and know all the 100 choices they made which led to the point they made the one BIG choice that changed their life and probably that of their loved ones. Too many people judge and say, I would never do that! How do you know unless you lived it and had to choose?

I do appreciate this exhibit and the choices each person presented. The exhibit still asks the question, What should I do? but clearly shows some of the choices Dutch people and others in occupied countries faced. In life there is always a choice – we may not like what is presented but we can always choose. Even in the circumstance where my husband’s father was rounded up in a Razzia in Rotterdam late 1944 and sent to Germany for forced labor – he had a choice to try to escape. That likely would have led to his death – but he still had a choice. He had hidden for a long time but that time came to an end.

It is my point of view we should explore what choices people had. Look at what they chose and try to understand it and write about it in our family histories. We should look at it through the historical lens to better understand why they chose what they chose, even without all the information they personally carried, and not judge their choices. We were not there. Americans especially have no idea what it is like to live under foreign occupation and oppression. We should strive to understand rather than judge.

Powerful Words

The museum is filled with powerful words which begin with a film you watch before you enter the exhibit area. Between the short film, words, emotive music, and images, I was in tears at the end. I could have watched it a few more times to grasp in a greater way what was being conveyed that was not apparent on the surface.

The words appeared throughout the exhibit space and encourage visitors to think. Words like Occupation. War. Poverty. Oppression. Dictatorship. Freedom. Collaboration. Choice. Resistance. Execution. And so many more.

The exhibit text does not contain endless things to read. What is there is short, powerful, and to the point.

The final exhibit in the museum before you leave is about the victims of the entire war. While the photos do not do it justice, there are columns showing the number of deaths each country had. The Soviet Union was by far the highest with over 24 MILLION deaths. The columns provide a visual example of the high cost of war.

Final Thoughts

There are so many other things I could say about this museum. It really struck me on a deep level and I plan to return again and spend more time reading and journaling as I walk through the exhibit rather than take a lot of photos. There are deeper messages available if you choose to look.

If you have visited before September 2019, I encourage you to visit again because your experience will be completely different. I would love to hear what you think about this new museum. For now, I leave you with some powerful images of something they kept from the old museum – the artwork of British soldiers coming out of their graves to reunite with their buddies. It is hauntingly beautiful and moving.

How can I help you?

Are you ready to learn the bigger picture of your family member’s military service? We are a firm with not only hands-on document experience but also travel experience and can connect you with a guide or suggest places to stay and visit. We are taking new clients and can help you find the answers and tell a deeper story about your family member. Email us at info@wwiirwc.com to set up your free phone consultation today to discuss project options, fees, and time.

© 2019 World War II Research and Writing Center

The Power of One

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We never know how we will impact the lives of others when we start a relationship with someone, whether it is business, professional or a mixture. Only time can tell, or show us this, and sometimes we are never made aware of the impact of using our authentic voice has on others. Or the impact our “seemingly small” life had on many.

Yesterday I attended a Rosette Ceremony at Margraten (Netherlands American Cemetery) for David Rosenkrantz who was Killed In Action in 1944 and finally identified and buried with his brothers in California in 2018.

As more than 20 people gathered for the ceremony, I was reminded again about the Power of One. Please watch the video and then scroll down to read more.

David’s Power of One

Many of us commented after the ceremony and during the luncheon, that David would probably be amazed that he brought together so many different people. Dutch and Americans. Civilians and some active 82nd Airborne personnel. The living and the dead.

All were in attendance at the cemetery yesterday. His life which ended in 1944 fighting for our freedom and that of Europe, still has an impact 75 years later. David’s spirit lives on through his nephew Phil and all of us who were in attendance, those who contributed to Phil’s work, and those who will read his book once it is published. The research and writing Phil has done to learn about David’s life and honor his death is certain to inspire someone else to follow a similar path to learn about their family member in the future.

Your Power of One

Thinking about the Power of One as I talked about in my video, I was reminded that my work has tremendous value, even if I never know how it has affected someone else’s life, their family, the dead, or the future. Many people have the point of view that they must speak to thousands and be famous to make an impact. I have never believed that. I have seen how helping just one person find the answers to their family secrets and stories, helping them find answers and closure, and heal on some level, changes everything. Not only for them but also me. Each of us, speaking authentically, become the Power of One to spread the word in some form or fashion.

Yesterday, Phil spread the word about the work I do with families, military research, PTSD, healing, and all that is related to this, in his few moments to present me with a photo of David. His beautiful and generous words reminded me that the work I do is valuable and will stay with me in times when the work becomes too emotionally difficult or I am unsure where to turn next for help so I can continue helping my clients and those I interact with.

Who knows where else his words will ripple out or who might enter either of our worlds asking for help. Maybe we will never know.

What is YOUR Power of One? What gifts and knowledge do you have that you share with the world? What gifts are you afraid to share with the world or do not see as valuable? I challenge you to sit with these questions and explore how you being your authentic self in life and business can help change the world one life at a time.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and how you have impacted someone’s life or someone has impacted your life. Please comment below.

Can I help you?

Are you ready to learn the bigger picture of your family member’s military service? Would you like to see what is included in unit records for your soldier? We are taking new clients and can help you find the answers and tell a deeper story about your family member. Email us at info@wwiirwc.com to set up your free phone consultation today to discuss project options, fees, and time.

© 2019 World War II Research and Writing Center

The Mission Belle – Unveiling the Monument

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This is part 2 of a series about the Mission Belle monument unveiled 29 September 2018 in the Netherlands.

Yesterday I wrote about The Mission Belle – Freedom Demands Responsibility. Today I would like to continue the story of the day’s events.

After lunch there was a briefing conducted by Joe, a retired Army soldier who had been stationed in Germany for many years. He took command of the airmen and did an incredible job re-enacting a mission briefing for the families. One thing we should always remember about military research – no matter what war we are talking about – is there is always something new to learn. It doesn’t matter how many military reports you’ve read or veterans you’ve spoken to, there is always more to learn. Seemingly small details that played a big role in a service member’s day, missions, life, and death. I learned quite a lot listening to Joe speak.

Then the families had some time to gather outside and look at the vehicles prior to loading up in the WWII trucks to take them to the monument site just down the road.

Johan and I chose to drive ourselves and had to park about 1/4 mile away. Walking closer to the monument we were surprised to see the large crowd gathered. The Dutch tend to come out for commemorations and monument unveilings, but this was the largest crowd I’ve seen at a commemoration here so far. One newspaper article reported over 300 people in attendance. I would agree.

Several speeches were given and of course the children participated by reading poems. Dutch children participate in every commemoration because Freedom isn’t Free or a Given. Dutch children are taught about WWII and the lasting effects in the hope that history will not repeat itself.

After the speeches, wreaths were laid by the Mission Belle Foundation, the Americans, the family members, the city, and other organizations. Then the families came up to lay their flower bouquets around the monument.

Two drummers moved in and then Taps was played. Following Taps, the American and Dutch National Anthems were played as the flags were raised. Apollo from the movie Band of Brothers was played and then two airplanes did a fly over once, turned around and did a missing man formation over us as they flew back to their base. It was a beautiful ending to a moving ceremony.

I was able to speak to one of the sons of an airman, both before we went to the monument and after the unveiling. He was so moved and a bit overwhelmed by the day’s events and emotions, in a good way. He too was surprised at how many people came to the event, that the children participated, and the beautiful words spoken in the speeches. I have the awareness he found a lot of peace and closure – for that I am grateful.

As I write this, the families are at Margraten visiting the graves of two of the crew members. There are a few other activities planned before the families depart. I hope they all find some answers and peace they were seeking. I hope we all continue to share the stories of the war and create a peace-filled future.

Would you like to read one more article about the day’s events, from a different perspective? Read The Mission Belle – Following the Flight Path on my site, Finding the Answers Journey. I hope you enjoy this gallery of photos.

Also visit the site of the Mission Belle, specifically the NEWS section and FILES sections for more resources.

© 2018 World War II Research & Writing Center

More on an Unknown Soldier at Margraten

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In late 2016 I visited Margraten again to see some soldiers I had researched, visit my husband’s adopted graves, and stop by a grave a friend asked I see. Next to that is the grave of an Unknown soldier (John W. Gordon from Illinois). I wrote about the spiritual experience I had at that grave in my article, When the Dead Speak. Today you can watch the video about this Unknown when I visited him Memorial Day weekend 2018. If you would like to visit this soldier, he is buried at Plot P Row 22 Grave 14.

UPDATE 31 January 2024

John W. Gordon was identified on 13 July 2022. You can read about it on DPAA’s press release. I’m so excited! I hope his spirit has chosen to pass to the next level on his journey now that he has been freed from his Unknown status. He was buried on 23 October 2023 at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, WI. His obituary and video of his funeral can be found at the Harder Funeral Home website.

Would you like help researching and telling the stories of your family’s service members? Contact us to discuss a research or writing project. Be sure to also check our our online courses to learn how to navigate the records (and the 1973 Fire) and locate information.

© 2018 (and 2024) World War II Research and Writing Center

$50 Off the Self-Paced Individual Deceased Personnel File Online Course

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Are you interested in a $50 off sale on our new course Finding the Answers in the IDPF?

The Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) is one of the most important files researchers can obtain for World War II service members who died or are still considered Missing In Action (MIA.) The details contained in these files are more than date of death, cause of death, and locations of burials. We learn about the service history, medical history, family stories and grief, decisions which had to be made by family members, family drama, the inability to recover remains, and sometimes connect with other researchers who have requested the file in the past.

This course runs for 10 weeks. You will explore seven extensive modules, which include 27 downloads, case studies, and worksheets. Additionally, you will be given access to an exclusive Facebook Group, in which you can have conversations, share files, and connect with other researchers.

Week 1: Course Introduction and Week 1 American Graves Registration Service

Week 2: Week 2 Locating and Identifying the Dead

Week 3: Continuation of Week 2

Week 4: Week 3 Understanding the IDPF Contents

Week 5: Continuation of Week 3

Week 6: Continuation of Week 3

Week 7: Week 4 Temporary Burial

Week 8: Week 5 Moving Deeper into the IDPF with case studies

Week 9: Continuation of Week 5

Week 10: Week 6 Course Wrap-Up

 

For the Memorial Day weekend 2018, I am offering a $50 price reduction on the new online course, Finding the Answers in the IDPF. Just click the link to take advantage of this offer which runs until Monday 28 May 2018.

https://www.wwiieducation.com/offers/zRSwmGVd/checkout?coupon_code=SELFPACEDIDPFMEMORIALDAY

© 2018 World War II Research and Writing Center

Visiting the Land of my Ancestors – Part 2 (Prague)

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This is day 2 of Visiting the Land of my Ancestors. Part 1 can be read here.

Our first full day on honeymoon in Prague. Yesterday we traveled and had an amazing time walking through part of the city. Today we were tired so chose to sleep as late as possible, without missing breakfast at the hotel, and do as little as possible and more thoroughly enjoy what we chose to see and do.

After breakfast the first target of the day was to find me some kolacky. My grandma used to bake them. While I could drive 30 minutes to a Czech bakery in Chicago to get some, I never do. They take a while to make so I don’t bake them either. Kolacky isn’t something you find in most restaurants in Prague. We asked at the hotel front desk where I could get some and the market down the street was suggested. Kolacky, we were told, was more of a rural tradition on special days. Not something you find on most menus. Apple Streudel – not that is on practically every menu. Sadly on Saturday there was no market. We did however go into a large shopping mall in search of something for Johan and in the lowest level, found a cart selling traditional Czech pastries!! Yes!!!

After purchasing my Czech sweets we headed out to wander the Old Town Square in full daylight. We took more photos of the astrological clock – one of my favorite things in Prague. We went into the Old Town Hall to look at their information brochures and found a WWII in Prague tour. I contemplated touring the Old Town Hall but the wait was 45 minutes until the next tour which would go into the Gothic and Roman Cellars. We were tired so I opted to wait until Sunday to see if I still wanted to do it. It was a good thing I waited. While we were there, the Old Town Hall was having some outside restoration done so most of the building was covered. I guess next time we’ll see it in all it’s glory.

After a coffee, we explored some more and found some gorgeous doors and art in the city. When I stroll around Chicago, I always look up to see what is on the buildings. In Prague my head almost got stuck in the “looking up” position. There was so much to see from art above doorways, Mother Mary watching over us in many locations, hanging door signs, statues, paintings, mosaics, and so much more. There were also so many old doors to look at. I have a thing for doors. I do. I LOVE old doors. I always wonder what their story is. Who used to go through them. Into what new world did the enter? How did that change their life? If I went through one, what would happen? Could I time travel? What adventures could I have? So many doors.

We took a walk and ended up at one bridge at the river. Not the Charles Bridge. That was yet to be crossed. After taking some photos of Prague Castle and looking down the river toward the Charles Bridge, and thenadmiring more art on buildings, we wandered near Wenceslas Square and found some lunch in an outdoor cafe. The cafe was called Švejk after the book The Good Soldier Svejk. I had heard of this book, but have not read it. Johan was much more well educated on Švejk though.

When we finished eating I wanted to powder my nose so headed inside the restaurant. The walls were lined with Švejk Stained Glass or paintings. Merchandise lined some shelves. As I proceeded down three levels to the Roman Cellars, I finally found the powder room and several other rooms with more stained glass on the walls and also over the bridge that was on the level above me connecting rooms. It was incredible. I took a few photos before I left. I wonder how many people go down there to just stand in awe of the beautiful art…. The last photo is the bridge. Beneath this row of photos is one stained glass which is a bridge panel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do admit I had to see the stained glass more than once so ventured down to the cellars again. The cellars themselves are amazing and gorgeous. Most of the restaurants have small rooms off the main cellar – as you can almost imagine from the bridge photo above – rooms off to each side of the tunnel. The spaces are magical and inspiring. You do, in a way, time travel to the Gothic and Roman times when you go into the depths of these buildings. I wonder how many of my ancestors would have done that in these buildings – of course in a time they were more street level.

From there we wandered up and down Wenceslas Square, which contained more art on the buildings. This is another area of Prague you could explore for hours – just looking up at the buildings. Art, statues, architecture. Just gorgeous.

Without intent to take it easy today, we ended up back at the hotel for a coffee, snack and rest before venturing out for  the concert in Our Lady of Tyn Church. Dinner we decided, would have to come after the concert.

The concert was incredible and featured some of the same members as the group the night before. On Saturday night they added the organ, an opera singer who sang Ave Maria, and a trumpet player who played a few songs. I enjoyed most of the concert, but not so much the organ. One organ song is ok. After that……. The soloist who sang Ave Maria was wonderful. I was grateful we took advantage of this experience. It was a great end to another magical day.

Of course, after the concert we were starving. Not quite finding something that we wanted in the Square, we ended up back at the hotel and had a lovely dinner, with of course, a Pilsner!

My second day in the land of my ancestors brought more magic and possibility to my life. And more awareness that yes, Jennifer can relax on a trip and just enjoy slowing down. Thank you husband for helping me do that.

© 2017 World War II Research and Writing Center