{"id":330461,"date":"2024-12-10T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=330461"},"modified":"2024-12-11T13:55:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T13:55:42","slug":"usag-benelux-spotlight-danny-janssen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=330461","title":{"rendered":"USAG Benelux Spotlight: Danny Janssen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Danny Janssen, driver\u2019s training\/testing manager, 405th Army Field Support Brigade, at the Logistical Readiness Center in Brunssum, the Netherlands
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[Editor\u2019s Note: In this series, we are shining a light on our workforce in and around the Benelux. This Spotlight is on Danny Janssen, driver\u2019s training\/testing manager, 405th Army Field Support Brigade Logistical Readiness Center (LRC) in Brunssum, who spends every Christmas Eve helping a special 1944 commemoration Mass to take place.]<\/p>\n

BRUNSSUM, Netherlands \u2013 Christmas Eve traditions vary from family to family\u2014some attending church services, watching classic movies, or opening presents\u2014but Danny Janssen has found himself in a cave in Maastricht, the Netherlands, each year for the past 20 years. This cave, located in a large marlstone quarry, held nearly 280 U.S. Soldiers for a Christmas Eve midnight Mass in 1944 in the midst of the air raids of World War II. Many of these Soldiers sacrificed their lives in nearby battles after Christmas. The survivors eventually returned home and lived out the rest of their lives, some to revisit the cave in their old age to see their signatures in charcoal on the walls from so long ago.<\/p>\n

For more than 40 years, a commemorative service has been held on Christmas Eve in honor of the Soldiers of 1944. Janssen, relatively new to his job with LRC at the time, was asked in 2004 to drive attendees from the parking lot along the rough terrain of the quarry road to the cave entrance for the service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere grabbed me,\u201d said Janssen, explaining how it continuously humbles him to be there.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been shuttling attendees back and forth each year since. Janssen also serves as an advisor to the committee in charge of the event and has maintained the connection between the organization and the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux throughout the years. In preparation for the service, he assists in the transport of the tables chairs to be placed in the cave and also fills the role of a first responder if the need ever arises.<\/p>\n

This year, a son of one of the 1944 Maastricht cave Soldiers plans to attend the Christmas Eve Mass in honor of his father\u2019s service in WWII. Only a few of the original Soldiers are still alive and no longer travel the long distance from the United States to the Netherlands. Even so, Janssen has found the visits from the veterans and their family members to be extra special and memorable for the commemorations over the years. These honored guests have taken the opportunity to share their memories at the Mass, often leaving lasting impressions on the attendees.<\/p>\n

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\n Participants gather for the commemorative 1944 Mass in de Schark Cave on Christmas Eve Dec. 24, 2022, in a rock quarry in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The service takes place each year to remember the 280 Soldiers that gathered there for respite during World War II. After the Mass, the Soldiers enjoyed a cup of warm coffee with a spoon full of sugar and then signed their names on the wall of the cave with charcoal before heading back out to war.
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\u201cWhat the Soldiers sacrificed for us\u2014 I think it should be remembered, cherished and honored, and that\u2019s what we try to do [with the commemoration],\u201d said Janssen. \u201cThey are not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets for seats are free, open to the public, and available for reservation for the Christmas Eve service taking place in the cave this year at 3 p.m. Children ages 12 to adult are invited and can request seats via email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the 1944 Maastricht cave Soldiers here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This Spotlight series will continue to tell the stories of our workforce in and around the Benelux. We are the Army\u2019s home – we are IMCOM.<\/p>\n

Dutch translation<\/p>\n

[Notitie van de redactie: In deze serie schijnen we een licht op onze werknemers in en rond de Benelux. Deze Spotlight gaat over Danny Janssen, manager rijles instructeur\/examinator, 405th Army Field Support Brigade Logistical Readiness Center (LRC) in Brunssum, die elke Kerstavond helpt om de speciale 1944 herdenkingsmis te laten plaatsvinden.]<\/p>\n

BRUNSSUM, Nederland – Kerstavondtradities verschillen van familie tot familie – sommigen wonen kerkdiensten bij, kijken naar klassieke films of openen cadeautjes – maar Danny Janssen bevindt zich al 20 jaar lang elk jaar in een grot in Maastricht, Nederland. In deze grot, die zich in een grote mergelgroeve bevindt, werden in 1944 bijna 280 Amerikaanse soldaten ontvangen voor een middernachtmis op kerstavond, tussen de luchtaanvallen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog door. Vele van deze soldaten gaven hun leven in nabijgelegen gevechten na Kerstmis. De overlevenden keerden uiteindelijk terug naar huis om de rest van hun leven uit te leven. Sommigen bezochten op een latere leeftijd opnieuw de grot om hun handtekeningen te zien die ze zo lang geleden in houtskool op de muren hadden geschreven.<\/p>\n

Al meer dan 40 jaar wordt er op kerstavond een herdenkingsdienst gehouden ter ere van de soldaten van 1944. Janssen, die toen nog vrij nieuw was in zijn baan bij LRC, werd in 2004 gevraagd om de aanwezigen van de dienst van de parkeerplaats langs het ruwe terrein van de steengroeve naar de ingang van de grot te brengen.<\/p>\n

\u201cDe sfeer greep me aan,\u201d zei Janssen, terwijl hij uitlegde hoe het hem met nederigheid vult om iedere keer erbij te zijn.<\/p>\n

Sindsdien pendelt hij elk jaar deelnemers heen en weer. Janssen is ook adviseur van het comit\u00e9 dat verantwoordelijk is voor het evenement en heeft door de jaren heen de verbinding onderhouden tussen de organisatie en USAG Benelux. Ter voorbereiding op de dienst ondersteunt hij bij het vervoer van de tafels en stoelen die in de grot moeten worden geplaatst en vervult hij ook de rol van eerstehulpverlener als dat ooit nodig mocht zijn.<\/p>\n

Dit jaar is de zoon van een van de soldaten van plan bij de Kerstavond mis te zijn ter ere van zijn vaders diensttijd tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Slechts een paar van de oorspronkelijke soldaten zijn nog in leven en reizen niet meer de lange afstand van de Verenigde Staten naar Nederland. Toch vindt Janssen de bezoeken van de veteranen en hun familieleden gedenkwaardig en extra bijzonder voor de herdenkingen door de jaren heen. Deze ge\u00eberde gasten maakten vaak van de gelegenheid gebruik om tijdens de mis hun herinneringen te delen en lieten blijvende indrukken achter op de aanwezigen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWat de soldaten voor ons hebben opgeofferd – ik vind dat het moet worden herinnerd, gekoesterd en ge\u00eberd, en dat is wat we proberen te doen [met de herdenking],\u201d zei Janssen. \u201cZe worden niet vergeten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaarten voor zitplaatsen zijn beperkt maar kunnen (gratis) gereserveerd worden voor de kerstnachtdienst die dit jaar om 15.00 uur in de grot plaatsvindt. Iedereen vanaf 12 jaar en ouder zijn uitgenodigd en kunnen via e-mail<\/a> kaarten aanvragen.<\/p>\n

Lees hier<\/a> meer over de 1944 Maastrichtse Grotsoldaten.<\/p>\n

Deze Spotlight-serie blijft de verhalen vertellen van onze medewerkers in en rondom de Benelux. Wij zijn het thuis van het leger, wij zijn IMCOM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Danny Janssen, driver\u2019s training\/testing manager, 405th Army Field Support Brigade, at the Logistical Readiness Center in Brunssum, the Netherlands (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sandra Wilson, USAG Benelux Public Affairs) VIEW ORIGINAL [Editor\u2019s Note: In this series, we are shining a light on our workforce in and around the Benelux. This Spotlight is on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330463,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=330461"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330466,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330461\/revisions\/330466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/330463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=330461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=330461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=330461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}