A visit with the 7th Armored Division

On Sunday October 5 we got to visit “American soldiers” from the 7th Armored Division. Along with the British army, the 7th Armored liberated the eastern part of the Netherlands during WWII as part of Operation Market Garden and following battles, suffering heavy casualties. A Dutch group of WWII-enthusiasts called “Lest We Forget” reconstructs a battle encampment near the town of Venray every two years. They put up authentic WWII-era tents, drive old vehicles leftover from the war, and wear authentic uniforms to be a display of “living history” open to the public.

The site of the camp is the location where armies actually camped during the war, complete with original foxholes and earthworks: The entire camp is set up as it was during the WWII battle:
Including a field kitchen, military police posts, and the communication tent, complete with operational, original equipment:
Many military vehicles that were left behind after the war have been restored, such as trucks: And tanks:
The boys have to wait in line for a chance to try the machine gun:
Besides being open to the general public on the weekend, the camp hosted over 1000 school children during the week. Uniformed “soldiers” drove to the schools in their authentic trucks and jeeps, and the children rode to the camp in the army vehicles. That must have been much more fun than a school bus! (There are no school buses here anyway.)

We thought it was a very nicely done endeavor, and we appreciated that the American troops who fought in this part of the country were not forgotten or unappreciated. Plus, since the people were representing American soldiers (with a few British mixed in), when we asked, "Sprekt u engels?" (Do you speak English?) they answered, "Of course! Can't you see I'm American (or British)?" It was nice to spend an afternoon with "Americans," even if they had a Dutch accent.