Sebastiaan Vonk, a 31-year-old Dutch chair of Fields of Honor, founded Faces of Margraten to honor the American soldiers who fought and died in World War II to liberate the Netherlands and Europe from Hitler’s Germany. The effort involves adopting and honoring 10,000 American GIs buried or memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. Dutch families have already adopted all the soldiers, with a waiting list of people eager to participate. Vonk is now leading an effort to pair each soldier’s name with their photograph, with the goal of expanding the project to five other American battlefield cemeteries in Europe.
The Faces of Margraten project has been successful in honoring the sacrifices made by American war heroes, with photos of the soldiers placed next to their graves or names for five days each year. The Dutch people, grateful for the liberation of their country, continue to honor the memories of these soldiers all year long. Vonk and the adoptive families in the Netherlands are still seeking photos of the remaining American heroes buried in their country. The project aims to humanize the cost of war and ensure that the sacrifices made by the United States are never forgotten.
The project has expanded to include five other American military cemeteries in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, where many American heroes have already been adopted by local individuals or families. The goal is to ensure that all 42,000 American war heroes memorialized in these cemeteries find an individual or family to adopt them, as well as pairing photos with every GI at each cemetery. Vonk emphasizes the importance of the project in honoring the American liberators and the gratitude and inspiration felt by the people in Europe for their sacrifices.
Those interested in helping with the project can contribute by searching for photos or documents of GIs from their home state or town, reaching out to libraries, high schools, historical societies, veterans associations, and relatives to find information. The project aims to connect grateful adoptive European families with American war heroes and ensure that their sacrifices are remembered and honored. Visit the Fields of Honor Foundation website for more information on how to get involved in the project and help preserve the legacy of American soldiers who fought and died in overseas conflicts.
