A Most Fitting Father’s Day

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Oh my what a day! We started our day with a most amazing breakfast at our hotel overlooking the River Rijn.  This was not your average hotel continental breakfast. The options seemed endless and we were full before we were done tasting everything we wanted to. But we still have one more chance since we are spending tonight here as well!

And the adventure of our day was truly an unbelievable “God Moment”! Our original plans were to go to a Liberation Museum first followed by a trip to see a working windmill. However we found out that the museum was not open until late morning so we decided to travel to Eerde to see the windmill first.  Well luck be it or whatever you want to call it, the windmill is only open Sunday and Thursday and well today is Sunday so it was open! We were greeted by three guides who were more than delighted to hear that our father was part of the 907th Battalion that was in Eerde at the start of Operation Market Garden. On the outside of the windmill are lists of soldiers killed in Eerde. Henk van den Oetelaar took us up inside the windmill to the top and showed us how the windmill works while it was running. The windmill is still used to grind wheat into flour which is then used at the local bakery. Also inside the windmill is a museum honoring the 907th Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division which was our father’s unit! A young 22 year-old man named Yannick Jussen, was our tour guide in the little museum in the windmill. He was so knowledgeable and so passionate about what the 907th did for Eerde and the country! We saw things like a white baptismal dress that had been made from the white parachute material left behind. In fact, Henk was baptized in that gown.  As you can see the windmill was heavily damaged but has been rebuilt since.

And then there was Erwin Janssen pictured on the right with Yannick in the middle and Henk on the left. Erwin knew one of the members of the 907th who he considered a second father to him. They had kept in touch until the soldier passed a few years ago. Erwin spent several hours showing us pictures and driving us to places that were where the actual pictures were taken.

And then he took us to the church where we know our father was based. This is what we had hoped for in this trip, to be where we knew our father was during the war. Bruce had considered hiring a tour guide when he was planning the trip and here we wound up with our own personal guide who just happened to be there at the right time!

The steeple of this church was heavily damaged during the battle however the statute in front that still remains did not receive any damage. Erwin told us of a soldier who climbed to the top of the steeple six times to place the American flag at the top after it was repeatedly shot down.

The fact that we were there a day when it was open, and that all three of these guides were there and so knowledgeable was unbelievable. We don’t know who was more excited, us meeting with them, or them meeting with descendants of one of the soldiers that helped liberate their country! I couldn’t have been more proud of my father! It was very emotional! Bruce left a picture of our Dad with them which will now be included in the museum. And all of this on Father’s Day! It couldn’t have happened any better.

And if that wasn’t enough for one day, we ended with a wonderful meal at a diner along the river.

Kathy