How The Monuments Men Led Me to Remember Us

Harry and I at Walter's grave (2012)

This week marks 80 years since Monuments Man Walter “Hutch” Huchthausen was killed in action during WWII, on April 2, 1945.

When his fellow Monuments Man Harry Ettlinger and I visited his grave at the Netherlands American Cemetery in 2012, I had no idea that moment would set me on a path leading to this very day—just weeks from the launch of Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II.

In a way, it was Hutch who led me to this story. More specifically, it was a letter—from a young Dutch woman in the Fall of 1945—seeking the address of Walter’s mother.

“He is buried at the large U.S. Military Cemetery in Margraten, Holland,” she wrote. “A place 6 miles from where I live. I am taking care of his grave.”

On May 30, 2016, I met the Dutch woman who wrote that letter. By chance, it was Memorial Day. I thought of my visit as a social call; we had a shared interest in, and affection for, the same soldier. But by the time she showed me photographs of American tanks parked in front of her home, and an American soldier holding her toddler niece, I knew it was more. This wasn’t just his story. It was her story too.

As she showed me photos of the Netherlands American Cemetery, she asked me,“Have you heard of the Margraten grave adoption program?”

That single sentence opened my eyes to a remarkable tradition—one that has lasted generations—and a much larger story unfolded.

I can’t wait to introduce you to the people and stories at the heart of Remember Us, including my late friend Frieda van Schäik—a woman who fell in love with an American soldier and remained loyal to him until her last breath—the one whose letter brought me to this story.

But today, we honor Walter Huchthausen, his sacrifice, and the people who have never forgotten him—including this author.