News item | 06-05-2026 | 2:39 PM
“It’s our generation’s turn and a lot is at stake. That demands something from all of us.” Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said this yesterday at the Freedom Parade in Wageningen. At the National Liberation Monument on May 5 Square, freedom was commemorated, now 81 years old.
The commemoration included about 20 veterans who fought in the Second World War. They came from Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, among others.
The minister told them about the British Robbie Hall. She is already 103 years old. She served in the Air Force during World War II. Her fiancé Frank Vincent died during the war. He was 21 years old. Robbie didn’t know where he was buried for 80 years. A volunteer found the grave and took her there. She discovered her own name in the parting words on Frank’s gravestone.
Comfortable
According to Yeşilgöz, Robbie Hall’s story shows what war does. “We have only been free for one lifetime. And yet we have quickly started to feel comfortable with this, perhaps too much. While history shows us that freedom can never be taken for granted.”
Even now war is approaching. In Ukraine people lose their loved ones. One in 5 Ukrainian children is missing a parent, relative or friend. “Our commitment to Ukraine is more than compassion,” the minister said. “It is recognition of how quickly aggression spreads and how close it can get.”
German soldiers
The security of countries in Europe is more interconnected than ever. The Netherlands is therefore investing heavily in the armed forces and is also working together with countries that used to be enemies. For example, German soldiers participated in the parade.
Yeşilgöz: “Especially now that unity is being tested, we must invest in it and work together as allies to protect what we hold dear.”
Chinook helicopter
Before the minister’s speech, wreaths were laid at the National Liberation Monument. This was followed by a minute’s silence, the Wilhelmus and the raising of the Dutch flag. A Chinook helicopter with a large Dutch flag also flew over the monument.
