Derk 265 Posted June 25, 2011 (edited) It was pure coïncidence: I was waiting at a traffic light at nearby Wassenaar, listening to a CD with Glenn Millers "In the Mood", when police turned up and blocked the road. And from the right out of the woods, at full speed, came a beautiful column of WW II vehicles, opened by Indian and BSA motorbikes with a siren running, jeeps, Dodge command cars, light trucks, heavy GMC en Ford Canada trucks, a halftrack and so on, all manned by soldiers and officers in original uniforms, creating a sort of instant time warp that lasted for minutes because at the same spot the people of Wassenaar welcomed their liberators in 1945 .... It was moving and people came out of their cars and applauded...... The whole thing belonged to "Keep them rolling" Keep them Rolling, Ardennes, a Dutch preservation society with very authentic and very well maintaind stuff. They had probably assembled on the nearby Royal Domain "De Horsten", where Crown Prince Willem Alexander lives, and were on its way to the Veteran Days in the Hague. Our good friend Muesli -himself a veteran- is very much involved in that manifestation. Not very well known, the Dutch have about 120.000 veterans from WW II, Indonesian Freedom War, Korea, New Guinea, Libanon, Sinaï , Cambodia , Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a very big happening with thousands turning up and with the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister and the C.in C. attending. Wish all the veterans a great day and thanks guys for what you did for our country (and other countries as well) Houdoe, Derk Edited June 25, 2011 by Derk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Muesli 2,151 Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) Had a great day, thanks! Walked the parade, made the 8 o'clock news (again) and my wife was a Carnation Girl, giving carnations to the public to commemmorate the veterans. The Crown Prince walked in the main tent in the afternoon, after the parade, surrounded by body guards and people wanting to have a photo with him. I didn't pay attention because I do not care much for him, so I returned talking and drinking beers with my mates. At a certain momen a bodyguard 'asked' to make room as he was about to pass, so I stepped aside, turned around and there he stood. In front of me, he grabbed my hand and thanked me, he asked about my Decoration of the Wounded (see my avatar; much like a Purple Heart) and after shaking hands again he continued his walk among the Vets. That was a nice short talk, he definetely rose in my respect. Saw a lot of mates that day, walked the parade with pride and drank a lot of beer. Soaked to the bone because of the rain, I sat in the train with my wife already thinking about next year. Hhhhmmmm, I wish Vets in NL were respected all year around... Cheers Muesli Edited June 27, 2011 by Muesli Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
