Another beautiful day when we can have a more personal cemetery visit without the large crowds. A highlight is the sanding ceremony where every family member has an opportunity to rub Normandy sand into the letters of their soldier’s cross. In the sunlight, there is a glow about the name.
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Mary and I, both nieces of Roy R. Moore, sanded the cross together.
The US Military Cemetery Margraten was established November 10, 1944. Memorial Day ceremonies were held (below) on May 30, 1951. The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial were inaugurated July 7, 1960 (see picture below).
Willis Utrecht is the 8,301st soldier buried. His remains were discovered in 1993, and he was buried in the only grave in the last row of the cemetery. His name is still listed on the Wall of Missing but now has a rosette next to his name to indicate he is found.
Family members and their adoptee families are welcomed into the old administration building. Both Mary and I signed the family guest book.
Harold Lambrecht from Wisconsin is Rina and Annie’s other adopted soldier. His sister still resides in Wisconsin.
Walter Kotowicz from Michigan is Saskia and John’s adopted soldier. Unfortunately, they have no communication with any family.
Major General Maurice Rose is the highest ranking soldier buried in Margraten.
Another lunch in Rina and Fred’s wonderful garden.
Rina has 35 years of information about the cemetery and her soldiers, so we spent the afternoon sharing stories.
Another chance to see Rina’s remembrance area in her dining room where, of course, the candle is burning for Uncle Roy and Harold.
Back in Maastricht, we met Mary and Jorge for dinner for our last night together. We will go separate ways tomorrow afternoon.
2 Responses
Lots of socializing! Must have been a fun day.
Rina and I agreed that we know each other better after spending three days together.it was also a blessing that my cousin attended as well.