They remember the Price We Paid!

valley ranch

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About six miles from Maastricht in the Netherlands lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944-5. Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom to keep a portrait of "their" Allied soldier in a place of honor in their home. Annually on "Liberation Day" Memorial Services are held for "the men who died to liberate Holland."

The day concludes with a concert. The final piece is always "Il Silenzio", a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland's liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.

In 2010 the soloist was a 13 year old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by Andre Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.

Watch at this site, and go full screen. Beautiful and moving.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...BFF6&FORM=VIRE
 

digitS'

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It all seems so odd and tragic.

The Dutch were unhappy with their cousins, the Deutch, coming in and taking over. Notice that it was an Italian composer of the song. What do you suppose the Rossi family thought of Mussolini?

So many men of my parents' age died in an event that was given a name. A "Market Garden" was something of my own remedy for the insanity of war.

... Steve
 

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