|
Josef Maria van Duinhoven Jopie January 26, 1920 - June 2, 1976 56 years |
 |
Dear Lord
Please let me have regular dreams like others do
Not these nightmares of memory
Let my dreams be filled with light and joy
Not smoke and terror
Let me hear the laughter of children
Not the screams of men dying
Let the birds fill the air with song
Not the sounds of bombs and bullets
Let the rivers run pure and clear
Not red with blood
Let everyone be healthy and whole
Not missing limbs and faces
Let the earth look as you made it
Not scorched and cratered
Let me wake up smiling
Not searching for the enemy
Let the sweat on my pillow be from summer's heat
Not the sweat of fear and anxiety
but dear Lord most of all
I beg you
Please don't let my children or their children
pray to you as I am doing tonight
Amen
Written by Maria Sutherland
September 16, 1999
THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
Did you ever stop and think
about the simple freedoms that we have every day
and how many freedoms a soldier sacrifices
So you can live this way?
You can refuse to work more hours
overtime you don’t have to do
you can’t be fired or penalized
your rights give that to you.
You get a call at work one day
your baby’s being born
everyone calls out congratulations
as you rush out the door.
And a new mother
has two choices she can make
stay at home with the child
or an outside job to take.
Nothing beats a nice warm bed
so quiet and serene
and any nightmares vanish
when the alarm screams.
Someone you love passes away
you’re told immediately
the law then guarantees
at the graveside you can be.
And what about all the little things
all those choices we can make
a shower or a bath
which one do I take?
I could go on for pages
It would be so easy to do
Now I want to talk of the soldier’s life
And the freedoms they give up for you.
You’ve already put in your 8 hours
but you’re told there’s still work to do
you can’t refuse the overtime
it’s not an option for you.
You’re wife just had your baby
but it will be months before you’re told
possibly years before you see him
and when you do he’s a two years old.
You’re a new my mom
And the doctor says you’re fit
it’s time to leave that little one
a choice you do not get.
A nice warm bed is just a dream
or a distant memory
and the nightmares never go away
in war there’s no quiet or serenity
And when a loved one passes
It can make it hard to grieve
when death is all around you
and you know that you can’t leave.
Even the simple act of cleanliness
Can be a gift of which you dream
To take a simple bath or shower
And luxuriate in the steam.
So next time you go to condemn a soldier
stop and think about what he’s done
all that he chose to sacrifice
so you won’t lose even one.
Written by Maria Sutherland
November 11, 2006
Or to obtain a wall hanging quality copy of my poem My Daddy Is a Soldier, adapted for the other service branches and in Mommy as well, visit WWW.MILITARYWIVES.COM
War is a part of our lives whether it is something we learned in history class, have lived through ourselves or have lived with because our father lived during a war and took an active part in it as a soldier.
For me it was and is a very important part of my life. My daddy grew up during the Netherland's occupation by Germany and in 1944, during WWII, became a resistence member with the Dutch Underground, then a recognized Dutch soldier serving under the 9th Army US Provost Marshall after his area was liberated from occupation, and then in 1945 when his government asked for volunteers to go to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) he went as aa Stoottroeper. Eventhough WWII was officially over then his trip to Indonesia was a result of that war so there is a relation. Although the war was long over when I was born in Canada, where my daddy emigrated in 1948 after Indonesia, the war played a major role in my life as what he experienced during his life in Holland molded the man he was and the way in which he raised me.
War is not about special battles or certain dates, it is about people - the people who lived with it every day whether in an occupied country, or as a soldier in the midst of battle - for it changed that person forever because of what they saw and were forced to do to simply survive. Those survivors live through the war every single day of their lives whether it is in a way hidden to the outside world - such as in their dreams at night, an event that triggers a memory, photographs from that time, watching a movie on television - or blatanly obvious in physical wounds and scars. War scars a person forever.
To truly learn about war and history we need not to memorize dates and battles but to learn about the people who lived through it for it is only then can we see and understand war for what it truly is --- a horrible life changing experience -- and that is what this site is about.
As you follow the links you will learn about what it was like to be part of the war, to experience it as the men who helped me learn about my daddy, and my daddy himself experienced it - as soldiers who lived the war.
Maria
You can leave any messages by Signing My Guestbook (Gastenboek) or emailing me (NEW ADDRESS), Maria Sutherland Any suggestions for new links, information about my Dad, the names of any of the people in the photographs, where they were taken or when, or anything else you might wish to tell me would be greatly valued and very much appreciated. To see what others have written, many from veterans or children of veterans View My Guestbook.
So to help others I've added a page, just one so far but who's to say it won't be more eventually, with their story telling who they are trying to learn about, why, and any information they have from that time and this is where I need your help, PLEASE take a few seconds and go to the page, read the information and if you can help contact the people. It's important.
* HAN SAMETHINI *
? BURGHOUT *
* HOLLARD CORNELIS *
* JOHAN SNIJDERS *
* ALBERT PAUL PATIST * JOHN (LEI) MOOREN *
* MARINUS (BOB) JOHANNES BERDOU *
* JOHANNES LODEWIJK HENNEKES
* JOHAN (JAN) MEIJER *
Dear Maria,
On the moment I'm writing a book (in Dutch) about the activities of a group of the 421st Battalion in Dutch Indië in de late forties: 1949/1950. My grandfather is, even so as your father, send to Dutch Indië after de Second World War.
Is it possible to place the include message put on your website. Maybe are people interested in the book that I’m written based on the diary’s of my grandfather. Or maybe recognize some people the called veterans. Especially I’m looking for the relative of the Aalmoezienier Rietmeijer who emigrated to Canada.
Regards,
Het 6de Bataljon Garde Regiment Jagers, ook wel het 421ste Bataljon Infanterie genaamd, kwam na de Tweede Politionele Actie in Nederlands Indië aan. Peter van Santen diende, als dienstplicht soldaat, bij dit Bataljon, 4de Compagnie en heeft op persoonlijke wijze zijn belevenissen in een dagboek opgetekend. De kleinzoon van Van Santen, heeft een begin gemaakt om deze dagboeken te gaan publiceren en is om die reden op zoek naar de volgende Sobats, dan wel hun nabestaanden, die hebben gediend bij dit Bataljon in de periode 1949/1950:
Wie weet meer over deze Sobats, dan wel over hun nabestaanden?
Bent u geïnteresseerd in het (dag)boek, dan kunt u een folder aanvragen met informatie.
The 6th Battalion “Garde Regiment Jagers”, also called the 421st Infantry Battalion, came to the Dutch Indies after the First Police Action (called Operation Product) and Second Police Action (called Operation Crow) in the early 1949. The conscript soldier P
eter van Santen joint this Battalion: specify the 1st Platoon of the 4th Company. Peter van Santen has kept a diary in this period of 19 month in the Tropics. He had written down the activities of his Platoon and he gave a personal description of the daily avocations on the Troopship “de Groote Beer” and their stay on East-Java, in places likes Madioen, Djogorogo, Tjermee and so on. Even so he had written down their residence on West-Java from May 1950 until there departure to Holland on the 25th of July 1950 at Batavia, the Harbor Tandjong Priok. The grandson of Peter van Santen is started with the publishing of these four diary’s.
If you are interested in this Dutch diary’s/book, you can contact Erik Smids by email fpsmids@hotmail.com
Even so we are looking to the following “Sobats” (the Dutch Indies word for companions) of Peter van Santen, who have joint this Battalion in the 1949 and 1950 in the Dutch Indies.
- Corporal Barkhuis, born on the 23rd of January 1928
Soldier Cor van Veen was a conscript and joint the army on the 10th of September 1948 in Amersfoort. Either during the furlough in January 1949, a few day before the departure to the Dutch Indies, he was fired from the army and he didn’t go with the Battalion to the Dutch Indies.
Especially I’m looking for relative or family of the Chaplain of the he 6th Battalion “Garde Regiment Jagers”, also called the 421st Infantry Battalion, Chaplain Rietmeijer, born on the 22nd of July 1910, emigrated to Canada and died years ago (I thought in Canada too).
Who can tell us more about the army men above or their relatives or family?
You can contact Erik Smids by email fpsmids@hotmail.com
Dear Maria,
Warm regards,
Dutch 320 Squadron RAF and 25th October 1943
* New Information Added March 2005 *
Memories from Ted and Jan vanden Driesschen
Tiger Brigade Tussen Sawahs en Bergen "Het Leven van de soldaat in de Tijger Brigade" English translation -Between Rice Fields and Mountains "the life of the soldiers in the Tiger Brigade" (work in progress); Signal Unit Headquarters
Book List - Dutch East Indies Police Action 1945 on
Stories from other WWII-Indonesia Dutch Veterans
Peter Nicolas Bovendeaard - volunteer, Java 1945-1948 in Dutch
The Regiment Stoottroepen Website (English Version)
Indonesia 1945-1948 - The Diary
2002 New Band on Flag Regiment Stoottroepen Prins Bernhard
Strijdend Nederland in Dutch
The chapel and Place of Honour in Dutch
Other Related Sites
Jan Gerritsen -32 year search for his English father, also hundreds of excellent links
Erik Smids
Contactgegevens: fpsmids@hotmail.com
A diary of a soldier
The 6th Battalion ”Garde Regiment Jagers”
the Dutch Indies 1949-1950
- Soldier L.M. (Leen) Bouman, born on the 15th December 1928
- Soldier S. van der Lee
- Lieutenant H. Roemer, born on the 11th of February 1926.
- Soldier. A.J. (Ad) Schaap, born on the 26th of July 1928
- Soldier. J. (Jan) van Seventer
- Soldier J. (Jan) Simons, born on the 29th of December 1928
- Soldier Driekus or Riekus Scholtens, born on the 30th of December 1928
- Soldier W.H. or J. Zwarts, born on the 9th of April 1928
Photos needed of
H.J.P. JENSON, H.J. BOOTS, and J.G. EGTER VAN WISSEKERKE
I am writing in the hope that you may be able to help me in my search for relatives of three Dutch Air Crew who were killed on 15th Feb 1944, I am compiling a pictorial book of remembrance for all of the airmen (580) buried at Botley Oxford England. Among those buried here are three Dutch boys, H.J.P. Jensen, H.J. Boots, and J.G. Egter van Wissekerke. They were all killed when their 320 Sqdn B25 Mitchell FR194 crashed near Buckingham 15-2-44, I am hoping to obtain photo's of them that could be reproduced in their memory in my book of remembrance, we also hope to place a plaque of remembrance at the crash site in the near future. I must congratulate you on a great web site, and good luck to you in all you do.
Thank you for your offer of help in our research, we are currently working on a new web site which we hope to have up and running soon, as soon as we do I will inform you.
Thank you once again for your help.
David King
The Remembrance Society
60 Springfields
Padbury
Bucks
MK18 2AS
U.K.
!!!!! 2006 MYSTERY SOLDIER NOW HAS A NAME - Tom Roth of Kearney, NE !!!!!
Looking for Information on the
DUTCH SPITFIRE FUND 1940 Dutch East Indies
I am a dutch student at the University of Amsterdam. I study history. For this i am looking for information regarding the 'Dutch Spitfire Fund' wich was started in 1940 in the dutch east indies to buy spitfire fighters for the English or Dutch pilots operating from England, after the occupation of The Netherlands.
I was hoping, allthough this is a long shot, that perhaps one of the family-members of immigrated people,or one of them selves, might visit your site and might even be able to give some information about the people involved in this.
Yours sincerely,
Lourens Dinger
A SOLDIER'S PRAYER, MY DADDY IS A SOLDIER, TOO YOUNG, MY PROMISE, WHY, TODAY, WHICH HERO?, THE POPPY MAN, TO THOSE WHO FOUGHT THE WAR, THE SOLDIER'S BOND, WHEN YOU ASK, I UNDERSTAND, MY CHRISTMAS WISH, WE ARE FREE
I am missing photographs for L.H. Kostjens 10-06-47, J. Cruijen 15-02-47 and M.L.M. Timmermans 05-12-46 so if anyone has a photograph from that time they would like me to put on my site please let me know.
The Diary: Limburgian Memories - Liberation
A Tribute to 104th Timberwolf division liberated Achtmaal
Translation Experts
Ltd. is pleased to provide this link to the InterTran (tm)
multi-language translation system for webpages and text.
The translations are not perfect but they can give you a general
idea of what is being communicated. Some of the languages have more
limited lexicons then others so the quality of translation can vary
between the languages. We always suggest that if you need critical
translations hire a translators or take the time to learn the language
that they want to communicate in. Any text or webpages that are translated
will appear within this webpage frame. Some of the languages will need
additonal support for specific fonts.