Brunssum, The Netherlands – This year, the 9th International Veterans Day coincided with the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Brunssum.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, 21 September, at the Lindeplein in the centre of Brunssum. It was held in recognition of the global contributions and sacrifices of veterans from all countries. This year, a particular tribute was paid to the Allied soldiers of the Second Word War, who participated in the liberation of Brunssum in autumn 1944.
The start of the ceremony was marked by the arrival of the veterans and the speech by the Mayor of Brunssum, Ms Wilma van der Rijt. “This is an important day, because it is precisely our veterans who have experienced, often personally, the price of freedom. That commitment, those sacrifices, call for our respect and gratitude. This is particularly tangible this year, when we celebrate Veterans Day against the backdrop of 80 years of the liberation of Brunssum”, the Mayor said. A military ceremonial piece of music, the Last Post, was followed by a minute of silence. To the tunes of the national anthem of The Netherlands, Wilhelmus, and the hymn of the Province of Limburg, the flags at the veterans’ memorial were hoisted.
Then the wreath laying ceremony by Dutch and international representatives at the veteran’s memorial took place to the tunes of the coral de Bazuin. Representing the Commander of JFC Brunssum, General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, Major General Mark Pullan, CBE, Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans), and the Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Chief Warrant Officer Christian Thomassin, laid the wreath of Joint Force Command Brunssum for ‘all those who serve in the cause of peace, anywhere in the world’, as the inscription of the veterans’ monument reads.
In addition to the Mayor, Alderman Vérénice Hermans and Aldermann Merle Bruning from the Community of Brunssum took part in the ceremony. Deputy Leon Faasen represented the Province of Limburg. Among the invitees were also Brigadier General Ronald Rietbergen, Dutch Senior National Officer JFCBS together with Warrant Officer 1 Jan Erpeka, Dutch Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, Air Commodore Petrus Tankink, and Colonel Bianca Janssen, Dutch Senior National Representative. The Joint Logistic Support Group Brunssum was represented by the Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Warrant Officer 1 Rodger Nievelstein.
The ceremony was then followed by a parade, led by Major Linda Schrader from JFC Brunssum, including platoons of veterans and serving military personnel, marching bands and a number of historic military vehicles through the centre of Brunssum.
After the parade, Commodore Gordon Ruddock, JFC Brunssum Deputy Chief of Staff (Management), took the stage to announce the beginning of a 6-day bike ride from Brunssum to Oberammergau in southern Germany. 17 cyclists from Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom will participate in this ride, organised by the Tri-Border International Cycling Club (TBICC), together with the Brunssum Veterans Association. The tour serves to raise funds for charity in the context of NATO’s 75th anniversary. Mayor van der Rijt wished the team tremendous success for their endeavour. “To encourage you on your mission, the town will double the money you raise that will be contributed to this year’s cause of the Veterans of Brunssum,” she announced. The tour can be followed on JFC Brunssum Social Media channels.