Dutch Ambassador Bekink: We owe an eternal debt of gratitude
Dutch Ambassador to the United States Rudolf Bekink has recently expressed his support for the project The Faces of Margraten. "We owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the soldiers who liberated Europe 70 years ago, especially those who fell on the battlefield and are resting in peace on land far away from their homes," said Ambassador Rudolf Bekink. Ambassador Bekink encouraged Americans to look for photos of their relatives buried in Margraten.
"We encourage our American friends to search through their old photographs to see if they have pictures of their relatives who fought in the war and are resting in Margraten," said Ambassador Bekink. "We are honored to help Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven memorialize these brave souls. I can think of no better way to honor these heroes as we mark this solemn anniversary," Bekink commented on the project The Faces of Margraten.
In 2014, the year in which the Netherlands starts to celebrate and commemorate the 70th anniversary of its liberation by allied forces, The project The Faces of Margraten by the Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven (Foundation United Adopters American War Graves) aims to give a face to as many of the American soldiers buried in or memorialized at the American War Cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands as possible. During a yet-to-be-determined Memorial Weekend at the cemetery in May 2015, all personal photos will be put at these soldiers' graves and in front of their names on the Walls of the Missing. In this way, the names on the crosses and on the walls, and thus the American liberators, will be given a face for the first time, 70 years after the end of World War II. The foundation encourages everyone who has a photo of one of the in Margraten buried or memorialized soldiers to submit that photo through the website www.thefacesofmargraten.com.
The project The Faces of Margraten is initiated by the Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven, a Dutch non-profit organization that consists of the Dutch and Belgian adopters of American war graves at American War Cemeteries in the Netherlands and Belgium. In particular, the foundation conducts research to the men and women buried there. Information and photos found are stored in the online-accessible Fields of Honor - Database of the foundation. The foundation does, however, not maintain any of the "Adopt-A-Grave" programs that exist for various overseas American cemeteries. In case of the Margraten Cemetery, this program is maintained by the Stichting Adoptie Graven Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten (Foundation Adoption Graves American Cemetery Margraten).
