Project connects Americans to the Dutch people who honor their relatives at World War II cemetery

DALLAS AP In the decades since June West Brandt s older brother was killed in World War II her kind and artistic sibling who loved to play boogie-woogie on the piano has never been far from her mind So she was delighted to discover he s also being remembered by a Dutch couple who regularly visit a marker for him at a Netherlands cemetery It s wonderful for me to know that someone is there reported Brandt who lives near Houston Her introduction over the summer to Lisa and Guido Meijers came by way of a new initiative aiming to increase the number of connections between the family members of those buried and remembered on the walls of the missing at the World War II cemetery and the Dutch people who have adopted each one The project was spurred on by The Monuments Men author Robert Edsel whose newest book Remember Us tells the story of the adoption campaign at the Netherlands American Cemetery His Dallas-based Monuments Men and Women Foundation teamed with the Dutch foundation responsible for the adoptions to create the Forever Promise Project which has a searchable database of the names of U S facility members buried and remembered at the cemetery I d like us to find and connect as multiple American families to their Dutch adopters as is attainable Edsel reported Ton Hermes chairman of the Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten commented that while each of the about graves and markers for the missing at the cemetery near the village of Margraten have adopters only about to of them are in contact with the institution member s relatives When the Meijerses adopted the marker for Army Air Forces Staff Sgt William Durham W D West Jr several years ago they knew only basic information about the -year-old whose body was never recovered after his B- bomber was shot down over the North Sea on a mission into Nazi Germany Through talking with Brandt they ve learned that West was quite a creative soul Lisa Meijers announced That obviously makes a huge change in how to remember someone she declared Brandt noted her brother loved to paint and played the piano by ear and even though she was six years younger they were big buddies growing up in the small western Louisiana city of DeRidder We loved being together so it was very hard when he left Brandt explained Brandt s daughter Allison Brandt Woods noted it s heartwarming knowing Meijerses are watching over the marker Woods met up with them on a new trip and hopes the connection between their families will continue with future generations The cemetery Lisa Meijers noted is among various reminders of World War II in the southern Netherlands which was liberated by Allied forces in September after over four years of Nazi occupation We just really feel how extremely crucial it is to remember these things and to honor the sacrifices these people made for us she mentioned The Meijerses who have a -year-old son visit West s marker about once a month bringing flowers Hermes noted the campaign is so popular that there s a waiting list to adopt a grave or marker Names on the walls for the missing were opened up for adoption in disclosed Frans Roebroeks secretary for the Dutch adoption foundation The formal adoption process for graves began to take shape during a meeting of the Margraten town council They were meeting to figure out the answer to the question How do you thank your liberators when they are no longer alive to thank Edsel announced Multiple initial adopters took on the grave of someone they had gotten to know Once they heard their soldier was killed in action the Dutch people decided to adopt his grave to bring flowers and to correspond with the wives or mothers in the United States Hermes noted Roebroeks disclosed multiple of the graves have been cared for by the same family since the end of the war including one that s been passed down through his family He declared Army Pfc Henry Wolf had stayed at his grandfather s farm and became like a son to him Wolf s grave has passed from Roebroeks grandfather to his mother and now to his sister who will pass it to her daughter he noted That grave stays in the family he commented Edsel disclosed that so far over families have required to be put in touch with their adopters And we re just starting he stated Source