Today, I find myself thinking about gratitude. In 1944, Christmas cards like the one below were created for residents living in the newly liberated areas of the Netherlands. Families who had taken American soldiers into their homes sent these cards to the young men who had returned to the front lines, many facing an uncertain future.

Through the tireless research from an interested and determined person I now call a friend, Ditta Strijbos, we learned that the two children in the photo were five-year-old Francien E. Paes and seven-year-old Jan H. Nillesen. On that day, the children were playing in front of Francien’s home at Rijksweg C111 (later renumbered Rijksweg 80) in Malden, in the municipality of Heumen, the Netherlands. Jan was Francien’s next-door neighbor. 

CHAPTER 26 | D-Day | Robert Cole | June1944 from Robert Edsel's "Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and A Forever Promise Forged in World War II"

Monday, May 26, marks the 80th Memorial Day since the end of World War II. The Dutch will be at the cemetery in force, placing flowers, saying prayers, and honoring each American. So will I. More than just a somber day of remembrance, this Memorial Day is an opportunity for each of us to search our hearts, just as the Dutch did 80 years ago, and ask: “What can I do to honor each American who fought and died in World War II, and all conflicts since, to preserve our freedom?” 

On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the love, sacrifice, and strength of mothers everywhere. On this special day, I want to introduce you to a Dutch mother of twelve, Emilie Michiels van Kessenich, whose extraordinary compassion forever linked two nations in shared grief and enduring gratitude.

On Monday, May 5, I had the great honor to speak about freedom and the heartwarming and inspirational demonstration of gratitude by the Dutch in creating a unique grave adoption program, which continues to honor their American liberators 80 years later.