King and Prime Minister to attend Memorial Day commemoration at Margraten
His Majesty the King and Prime Minister Dick Schoof will attend the Memorial Day commemoration on Sunday afternoon 25 May at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten. This year marks 80 years since the liberation of the Netherlands. The King will lay the first wreath during the commemoration ceremony. Prime Minister Schoof will give a speech.
Memorial Day, observed every year on the last Monday in May, is the day on which the United States commemorates its fallen soldiers. The commemoration ceremony at Margraten is traditionally held on the preceding Sunday. The American Cemetery at Margraten was first established by the US Army on 10 November 1944. The land, in an area which had been liberated by American forces in September of that year, was made available permanently by the Dutch government as a cemetery.
During the commemoration ceremony, short speeches will also be given by the US Chargé d’affaires ad interim Marcus Micheli, Brigadier General Andrew Saslav of the US Army, the Executive Director for Operations of the American Battle Monuments Commission Thomas Spoehr, and the Governor of the Province of Limburg Emile Roemer. Defence minister Ruben Brekelmans and Chief of Defence General Onno Eichelsheim will also attend the commemoration ceremony. After the ceremony, the King will meet with a number of the veterans.
In 2024 and 2025 the Netherlands is celebrating 80 years of freedom. Members of the Royal House and members of the government are attending various celebrations and commemorations to mark this. They are doing so in support of efforts to protect values such as freedom, justice and democracy, which can never be taken for granted.
Government Information Service, no. 136