News item | 19-05-2025 | 17:21
His Majesty de Koning and Prime Minister Schoof are present at Memorial Day at the American Cemetery Margraten on Sunday afternoon 25 May on the occasion of 80 years of liberation of the Netherlands. The king lays the first wreath during the commemoration. Prime Minister Schoof gives a speech.
During Memorial Day, the United States commemorate their killed soldiers every year on the last Monday in May. The memorial meeting in Margraten traditionally takes place on the Sunday before. The American Cemetery Margraten was put into use by the US Army on November 10, 1944. The territory liberated by the Americans in September 1944 was then permanently made available by the Dutch government as a cemetery.
During the commemoration, in addition to the Prime Minister, the deputy ambassador in the Netherlands, Marcus Micheli, American Brigadeneral Andrew Saslav, ABMC Executive Director of Operations Thomas Spoehr and governor of the province of Limburg Emile Roemer will also give a short speech. Minister Brekelmans of Defense and Commander of the Armed Forces General Eichelsheim are also present at the memorial ceremony. After the ceremony, the king speaks with a few veterans.
In 2024 and 2025, the Netherlands is celebrating 80 years of freedom. Members of the Royal House and members of the cabinet attend various celebrations and commemorations in this context. They thereby support the commitment to values such as freedom, law and democracy, which are never self -evident.