Liberation day

[Rob M.]

Hereby I would like to send a big THANK YOU for all people who helped us liberate Europe (and especially the Netherlands) during the second world war. Our thoughts are with you and anyone which had family who were involved in aiding in any shape or form to unsure our freedom as we know it today!!!

greetings,
Rob & Simone Musquetier

PS Foto is taken at the Dutch cemetary Margraten located in Limburg (south of the Netherlands) where more than 8000 American and people which gave their lives during world war II are buried. This was our way to send them our salut...

[Dennis A.]

Re: Liberation day

Rob....

Thank you for a great message and picture....You are a scholar and judge of good corvettes in my book.

[Jay G.]

Re: Liberation day

Thanks Rob, and in memory of my Dad. He was a Bomber Pilot with the 15th Air Force, 89th Fighter Group out of Bari, Italy during the war. He was Capt. flying B-24"s, his was called "Miss Fortune". So for my 'ol man and his boys we all say thanks.

[Don S.]

Re: Liberation day

Rob--

Without a doubt, you are a class act.

[Roy B.]

Re: Liberation day

My Father is there , salute and Thanks ROY

[Tracy C.]

Thank you Rob ... *NM*

[Joe M.]

Re: Thank you Rob ...

Thanks Rob on behalf of my dad, 5th army north Africa, Sicily, Anzio to Rome. It means a lot to hear your words of thanks.

[Don 42616]

Re: Liberation day *NM*

[Don 42616]

Re: Liberation day

Thank You Rob. My Father was one of the brave men to be in the Normandy invasion. I sometimes wonder if the World forgets. Don

[Verle R.]

Re: Liberation day

Rob,

In memory of my father in law who went ashore at Normandy.
All my other relatives served in the Pacific.

Verle

[Barbara S.]

Re: Liberation day

Rob, on behalf of my late father who helped liberate Europe in WWII, you're very welcome.

Best to you.
Tony Stein

[Wayne W.]

Re: Liberation day

To my uncle Miller D. Womble, killed in the Netherlands Nov.1944.

[Charles P.]

Re: Liberation day

Thank You for the beautiful tribute Rob.
Margraten is where many, many casualties lie from many operations including Market Garden, The Ardennes (The Bulge), and especially the March 1945 crossing of the Rhine (Bridge at Remagen). I was told that in a 48 hour period over 1000 U.S. casualties were brought to Margraten from the Rhine offensive alone. When I went to Carlisle, Pennsylvania last year for the August Corvette show I decided to go to Gettysburg Cemetary and museum. I recommend this as a side trip to anyone. By chance I struck up a converstion with someone from the Margraten area there but didn't get their name. He told me the casulaties were interred at Margraten under very horrible conditions, mud that later froze. Many volunteers from the town of Margraten were enlisted along with U.S. forces to do this grim job.
My Father spent 5 years with the 199th Field Artillery, first in England then along the front after June 1944 into 1945 which included 228 consecutive days of combat duty. He also was part of the shock troops who worked to liberate prisoners from concentration camps. He has a company diary which contains the combat history of his unit. Somehow he survived all this and made it back to England where he met a beautiful woman in England (my mother, who worked for the admiralty in London). He married her in July of 1945. This year they will celebrate 61 years of marriage. Besides being a great Dad he also co-signed for me on my first Corvette when I was 21, at the end of my enlistment in the service. Once again thanks for sharing.

[Rob M.]

Re: Liberation day

We visited Margraten last year during our annual road tour of the proposed Dutch chapter. On places like these films and series like Band of Brothers, The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan are starting to make sense a bit more and you start to realise what sacrifice all these people made for us and our future generations.

Although I am from a younger generation myself I still join the National ceremony in the Netherlands each year on the 4th of May to commemorate all these young men (and some women as well). Without them it could well be the case that I wouldn't even exist (my mother was half jewish and at the end of the war people like here were also not sure of their lifes, the germans were shipping them also the camps).

Today, on the 5th of May, we celibrate the liberation itself with festivals everywhere. Our flags are out to salut our liberators and we once again are reminded of how lucky we are to live in piece, freedom and welth!!!

To all of you who had friends, fathers, uncles or other relatives involved in this big drama be aware that we still admire them and are very gratefull for their contribution and lets hope this will never be neccesary again...

with love,
Rob & Simone

[Paul L.]

Re: Liberation day

Hello Rob,
My Father was a WAG (wireless air gunner, Lancasters) in the RCAF during WWII. After the cessation of hostilities he was seconded to the Commonwealth Graves Commission and assisted with battlefield clean-up and the establishment of military cemetaries in Europe. Mostly in France but I believe Holland as well. He spoke little of that grim work.

As you will know, Princess (later Queen) Juliana spent the war years in Ottawa, Canada. Her daughter, Princess Margriet, was born here. At the end of the war, Holland presented Canada with 100,000 tulip bulbs in thanks for serving as host. The donations continued year-by-year.

Each May we have a Tulip Festival (see link below) in honour of Holland's gracious gifts of tulip bulbs over the years since the end of WWII. The number of tulips now blooming, or about to bloom, is estimated at 3 million. It's quite a sight.

So I send my thanks to you as well!

http://www.tulipfestival.ca/en/index.php