A good point indeed. It must be said my OP (nine friggin’ years ago, how time flies :eek: ) was mostly written from a Dutch (well indeed a personal) perspective. But you’re right - the map of Europe would surely look different had the Russians not gotten involved.
It’s great that this thread is bumped every year.
Each year there are new Dopers who have not read it before.
May 5, 2010
Canadians, Dutch mark WW II liberation
How Canadian forces brought ‘sweetest of springs’ to Netherlands
Old friends, old wounds: Canada’s bond with Dutch runs deep
Ian M. Haldane
A friend who is a high school history teacher is in the Netherlands today with a group of kids from his school as a part of the 2,500 visiting Canadian school children. This is the fourth or fifth time he has organized a trip for the kids to be there and have a “hands-on” experience of some of the impact of the war and liberation. They will also be visiting Vimy Ridge and a number of other battle sites and war cemeteries.
Some of us read it each year.
My father was in Germany at the end of the war with Patton’s army. I thank you Coldfire for remembering and honoring him.
Some of us get a little teary from it each year. 
How can you not? It’s like watching one of those films that makes me cry. Maybe if you’re 20 and have no appreciation of history, but I’m 65, and my dad was in WWII, although not in Europe.
And some of us don’t want to read it each year because they know they would get teary… However, I’m glad the mods let us bump this zombie each year because it is something everyone should get teary for at least once.
Thanks for the bump, guys. It’s always a bit of a thrill to get the post notification in the e-mail on May 5th.
Bookkeeper, your friend sounds like a great teacher. What a fantastic idea, a school trip to teach those who perhaps by now, didn’t hear the story from their parents or grandparents.
BTW, I was in the UK on business yesterday, otherwise I would have responded on the date itself. So, my apologies for that.
Now, let’s see what else is new on this here MB. 
(10 years old, that OP. Damn!)
Good to see you around again, Coldfire.
Coldfire, thank you for this great post. My brother was killed on FEB 25th 1945. He was buried in maastricht, till we brought him home to the USA. I went to maastricht in 1946 and took pictures of his cross. We still had many family members in Holland, and they looked after his grave for three years. Still have many there today, all over Holland. It is good to know that hunor all the troops. Thanks again. Jim
Marley23: it’s good to check in every now and then, even if I don’t do it on a daily basis anymore. How’s the mod gig coming along? 
Jim2929: wow, your brother almost made it. Just a few more months! How sad. Was he buried in Margraten (just outside Maastricht)?
The memorial’s website: http://www.margratenmemorialcenter.nl/
I hate to quote myself, but this IS the Dope…
Sad to post that Hank passed away last month. It was actually a blessing for him and his wife Mary Alice, as he had been in terrible shape for several years.
A color guard came down from Los Alamitos National Guard base for the service. My brother was the only paratrooper in uniform at the church- not surprising, as most (if not all) of Hank’s fellow soldiers preceded him in death.
Goodbye Hank. Godspeed and God bless.
PS- Coldfire, this thread was the one of the first things I thought of when I heard about Hank’s death… 
On May 5, 1945, I had been in my mother’s womb about four months, happily ignorant of the world’s problems.
MARLEY23: YES MY BROTHER WAS BUIED AT MARGRATEN. HE WAS IN THE 29TH.
DIV. 116TH REG. COMPANY “C” FROM NORMANDY TO MANNHIEM GERMANY.
HE WAS HIT ON THE BEACH, SENT TO A HOSPITAL SHIP AND THEN RE-JOIN IS OUTFIT AT ST. LO. HE HAD TWO PUPLE HEARTS AND A BRONZE STAR.
HE WAS A GREAT SINGER, AND STARTED THE “FOXHOLE FOLLIES”
HE WOULD USE WHAT EVER PICKUP BAND HE COULD FIND WHEN ON R&R.
wHICH BY THE WAY WAS NOT OFTEN. WE AS A FAMILY ARE VERY PROUD OF HIM.
THERE WERE FOUR OF US IN THE SERVICE,3 ARMY, THE OTHER AIR FORCE.
JUST IN PASSING, I WAS THREEKS BEHIND MY BROTHER WHEN HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION.–THANKS FOR ASKING. JIM PICK.
A friend just returned from a trip to Europe and mentioned he’d been in Amsterdam on May 5th. It reminded me to look for this thread which somehow I’d missed this year.
Last September I was fortunate to escort my uncle to the liberation celebrations in Belgium. He is a member of a veterans group which has attended every five years, and the welcome the veterans receive each time has been tremendous. He looks forward to each trip, visiting with the men he was with 65 years ago.There’s a large group of re-enactors who help celebrate and welcome the veterans. This year we stayed till September 13th for a very special day in Maastricht on their liberation day.
Most of the veterans have family members - children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren - that have attended these trips with the veterans. We’ll continue to go every five years. We’ve made so many friends, really family, in Belgium; we’ve met re-enactors from all over the world. But I don’t know how many of the veterans will be able to return with us in 2014. Last year, the youngest of the group were in their mid-eighties.
I’ve spent countless hours listening to conversations, picking up a fact here, a recollection there. Most of these men don’t talk a lot about that time in their life. If there’s a common thread that I sense in their memories of that time, it was that they did not feel that what they did was very special. They were there because they were needed, they did what was needed. Every year when we meet, we do our best to show them they were wrong; they were, and are still, very special men.
I’m really surprised this hasn’t been bumped this year. This is such a beautiful post.
Mods: I apologize if it’s no longer kosher to bump this particular thread.
I hope it’s not a problem, because it’s still one of the best threads we have. Thank you for bumping it; I’d completely forgotten to look for it.
I always get something in my eyes when I read this thread. I wish I could have my uncle back, to ask about this. He was in Europe at the time.
Thank you. Again. As always.