Commemoration on May 4, 2022

First, as members of the Committee to Commemorate and Celebrate with the Veterans, we laid flowers at the graves of allied soldiers and resistance fighters. This happened at the Groene Kerkje, the Roman Catholic cemetery at the St. Wilibrordkerk and the Halifax monument in Haaswijk.

 

A memorial service was held at 6 p.m. in the Village Center. We thought about all the war victims who lost their lives as a result of WWII to liberate us. The names of allied casualties, resistance fighters and Jewish victims were read out.
The speaker during this commemoration was Prof. Dr. Herman Amersfoort. He grew up in Oegstgeest and was professor of Military History and Strategy at the Netherlands Defense Academy in Breda. In his reflection, he called on those present to reconsider the more recent wars in which Dutch soldiers fought. The question to those present was how we will look back on these wars in a few decades. His observation was that we are not emotionally involved in the Dutch military interventions in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. While twenty-five soldiers have died in Afghanistan alone. “Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?”

At 19:45 in Bos van Wijckerslooth, we commemorated the Dutch war victims: civilians and soldiers, who have given their lives for freedom in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and anywhere in the world since the outbreak of the Second World War and afterwards in war situations and peace operations. datum.
This year the honorary couloir was provided by Scouting group Sagara Satrya’s. Amber Harris, Beatriz Bordin de Morais and Sara Ferracina of the Montessori school reflected on the war violence that has taken place and is still taking place through a self-written poem.
The speaker at the National Commemoration was Prof. Dr. Arif Kutsal Yeṣilkaǧit. He lives in Oegstgeest and is professor of Public Administration at Leiden University. In his speech he made the connection between the past and the present with a roll call: “Never be afraid to raise your voice, even if it is low. Never be afraid to get up, although it is often difficult to keep your back straight all the time. Because if you are not afraid and dare to stand for our freedom and democracy, history will eventually tell your story.”

After the “Taptoe”, two minutes of silence, the Wilhelmus and the laying of wreaths and flowers, the well-attended meeting was closed. The commemoration ended with a walk-in in the Village Center with an opportunity to talk.