PM Schoof calls defending freedom a “moral obligation” at American WWII memorial
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof emphasized the importance of continued commitment to defending freedom at the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Sunday at the American military cemetery in Margraten, Limburg. Schoof called it a "moral obligation" owed to the Allied soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War II, De Telegraaf reports.
"We must keep investing in the defense of the freedom for which Allied soldiers fought so hard," Schoof said. He stressed the importance of maintaining unity at the upcoming NATO summit, "to show that their sacrifice was not in vain."
Schoof reflected on current global tensions, saying, "We live in a time when peace can no longer be taken for granted, and remembrance alone is no longer enough. How often, over the past decades, have we repeated that freedom is not automatic? Today, we must acknowledge that those words carry obligations."
The American military cemetery in Margraten holds the graves of 8,301 U.S. World War II soldiers who died in battles including the Belgian Ardennes and the liberation of Limburg. Memorial Day, which honors all fallen American soldiers, is observed annually on the last Monday in May in the United States. In Margraten, the ceremony is traditionally held the Sunday before.
This year’s ceremony was attended by King Willem-Alexander, who laid the first wreath, Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans, and Commander of the Armed Forces Onno Eichelsheim. Also present were Limburg’s governor Emile Roemer and Marcus Micheli, chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy, both of whom delivered speeches alongside Schoof.
