Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II

by Robert M. Edsel

book review by Kelly Dale, MD

Just when you think you have a grasp on the enormity of WW2, you come across a book like this one.

Robert Edsel, author of the bestselling book The Monuments Men, brings us a story of a single cemetery – The Netherlands American Cemetery in Magraten, Netherlands. He takes us to this very spot in early 1940 as Hitler storms the region with his blitzkrieg warfare and begins what will become a four-and-a-half-year German occupation. Through first-hand accounts of average Dutch citizens, we get an inside look at what life was really like for them – the sacrifice, the struggle, and the small acts of heroism that marked a people awaiting their liberation. Simultaneously, Edsel weaves in the stories of the American soldiers that would play a vital role in delivering them their long-sought freedom. Americans, such as Sergeant Jeff Wiggins, who lied about his age and enlisted to escape the threat of Klan attacks in Alabama; Lt Colonel Robert Cole, member of the 101^st Airborne and Medal of Honor recipient; and Stephen Mossbacher, lovingly referred to as “Moose”, a Jewish refugee turned U.S. Army translator. All of them heroes that found their final resting place in Magraten cemetery.

But the story doesn’t end there. Edsel brings us to present day by telling us of a grave adoption program set up by the Dutch to honor the sacrifices of the Americans that freed them. There are 83,00 graves in Magraten and each one is owned by a Dutch family that cares for it as if it were their own loved one.

Remember Us is a powerful and poignant story that highlights the very best and worst that humanity has to offer. It is inspiring, yet heartbreaking, and serves to remind the reader that even in the darkest of times, love of your fellow man prevails. I have never read a book quite like this one and would without hesitation recommend to anyone and everyone. Just be sure to have your tissues ready.