Conscript soldier Hans Bekskens died in 1973 when he was accidentally hit by a bullet from a fellow soldier. The two stood guard at the General Major de Ruyter van Steveninck barracks in Oirschot. To process the trauma, all conscripts came together for the first time ten years later. Then lifelong friendships were formed. On Saturday, the former soldiers of the Charlie Peloton met again after exactly 50 years.
One of them is Ted Compier: “It made a huge impression when the unfortunate gunman went to everyone personally to ask forgiveness for what had happened. The boy looked eighty when he started. When he finished, he was forty years younger in his face. Unimaginable.”
Many of the platoon’s conscripts came from Brabant. Frans van de Broek from Budel can still remember the day Hans was shot. He was a watch commander on the day in question.
“I immediately called the hospital.”
“I was 25 and a sergeant. On that day Defense Minister Vredeling was at the barracks to open a new building. The same evening Hans was on guard and out of boredom they played with their Uzi. The trigger was accidentally pulled and Hans was killed by his shot myself. I immediately called the hospital,” says Frans.
In 1983, the army chaplain organized the first meeting of all conscripts who experienced the fateful shot. Ger Valkenburg remembers it well: “Hans’ parents were also there. It was mainly trauma processing for the shooter. It was very impressive.”
“We are almost all over seventy and more and more are falling off.”
Ten years ago, all the service comrades of the Charlie Platoon reunited. “But there are also those who have regularly visited each other to talk about that time and now we are fifty years later,” says Frans van Boekel.
Of the thirty members of group 73-3, seven have now died. Furthermore, everyone is there except for one, who had a back injury on Friday.
Ted Compier thinks this reunion will be the last time they’ll all be together. “Of course the mutual friendships remain, but we are almost all over seventy and more and more are falling off. Today we will make it a beautiful day.”
