Toespraak van minister Plasterk bij de US Memorial Day Ceremony

Toespraak | 28-05-2017

What is a hero?

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself,” says mythologist Joseph Campbell.

“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom,” thinks Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan.

There are more interpretations, but I believe these two definitions capture the souls of the soldiers who have found their final resting place here. They took up arms in the battle against evil and sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Private First Class Jim Falk was twenty years old when he lost his life in the battlefield in the Rhineland. He had graduated from high school two years earlier. He left behind his parents, two sisters, and a brother.

Before the war, Sergeant Robert Valentik had been working as a mechanic in Connecticut. He was twenty-three when his B-17 bomber was shot by anti-aircraft guns in the skies above Walcheren, causing a fatal crash. His body was never recovered.

Following the news of Pearl Harbor, Private First Class Edward Magee immediately withdrew from university and joined the armed forces. He worked as a sapper and survived the war. Three weeks after the war, he was helping to demine an area nearby Bremerhaven, Germany, until one mine exploded, killing him and three other soldiers.

We know these details thanks to the magnificent project entitled ‘the Faces of Margraten’, which gathers photographs of those who died in South Limburg, the Battle of the Bulge, and in the Ruhr area. The power of the project lies in the way it brings home the fact that each of these crosses has a face and a personal story to tell.

These are the faces of young men with hopes and dreams: Robert with a piercing gaze, Jim with a charming grin, and Edward with a slightly mischievous look.

These are men whose education was never finished, with talents that did not have the chance to blossom, with careers that ended before they had hardly begun, and with loved ones that were left behind, devastated.

While it is almost impossible for us to imagine, the faces and stories help us to form a picture, faint though it may be. And we must carry on doing this. After all, remembrance lives on in these stories, and there is no question that we will continue to remember.

The end of the Second World War is a lifetime ago. Seventy-two years have passed since. There are now very few people alive who were present during the events or still have personal memories of what happened. But the War lives on regardless – especially now, in this troubled, complex world of ours.

This is reflected in our National Remembrance Day on May 4. In my community and in many other places around the country, each year sees more and more people, young and old alike, gather around war memorials. They listen to the speeches and hold a two-minute silence at eight o’clock. Although you find yourself in the middle of the city, the only sounds to be heard are the birds, and trees rustling in the wind. It is an impressive, almost magical moment.

While we each have our own personal thoughts, we are united in this occasion. United in our respect for those who died, united in our gratitude for our freedom, and united in our resolve to never let this happen again.

Today, on the Sunday before the last Monday in May, we are remembering the American soldiers who sacrificed themselves in battle. We will remember them this year and in years to come, no matter how much time passes. We will remember first and foremost in order to keep the memories of these soldiers alive.

But our remembrance is also testament to our appreciation of the special, historical connection that exists between the Netherlands and the United States. We are friendly nations, with some differences in opinion at times, but nations which always stand side by side in our efforts to defend freedom, democracy, and justice when necessary. This place reminds us of the great sacrifices made to safeguard the values we share, and teaches us never to take them for granted.

What is a hero? A hero is not fearless or flawless, but righteous and responsible. He stands up in the face of adversity, and leads the way towards the light. Jim, Robert, and Edward were heroes, even though they probably did not see themselves as such. “It is impossible to strive for the heroic life. The title of hero is bestowed by the survivors upon the fallen, who themselves know nothing of heroism.” These are the words of the famous Dutch historian Johan Huizinga.

The truth is that we cannot know the thoughts, hopes, and fears of these men. We cannot judge by their expressions; we can no longer ask them what it was like.

Our annual remembrance, our commitment to return to this place year on year, and our will to defend our freedoms if they come under attack are the only ways for us to reach out to them. It is our duty to these soldiers. And it is our duty to ourselves.

The Dutch people will never forget these heroes.

Thank you.