{"id":415086,"date":"2025-04-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=415086"},"modified":"2025-04-16T15:39:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T15:39:56","slug":"sunset-veteran-march-honors-past-present","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=415086","title":{"rendered":"Sunset veteran march honors past, present"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Members of the NATO Joint Engineer Division at Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, walk the memorial bridge in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Jan. 15, 2025. At sunset each evening, 48 pairs of lights flicker on at marching pace on the bridge \u201cDe Oversteek\u201d (or \u201cThe Crossing\u201d in English) to commemorate the 48 American service members who died during the Waal River crossing operation during World War II on Sept. 20, 1944.
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Editor’s Note: The following story is a part of USAG Benelux\u2019s \u201cHonoring our Legacy\u201d series in which we tell stories of World War I, World War II, the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and alliance achievements throughout the decades.<\/p>\n

BRUNSSUM, Netherlands \u2013 Twenty-six flimsy canvas boats struck across the Dutch Waal River in broad daylight under heavy enemy fire in what could have been considered a suicide mission on Sept. 20, 1944. This operation to capture the Waal (Road) Bridge and the Nijmegen Railway Bridge in the Netherlands stood as part of the World War II Operation Market Garden.<\/p>\n

After creating a smoke screen so the crossing could be performed under cover, boats launched with up to 13 men, some rowing with the butts of their rifles, but the wind dispersed the smoke quickly, leaving them exposed in the middle of the river. Forty-eight American troops were lost in the river crossing which ultimately proved successful in garnering control of the Waal River bridges.<\/p>\n

The paratroopers of the U.S. Army 307th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division navigated the boats, taking several trips, full of American infantrymen to the opposing shore in this treacherous mission. Just over 80 years later, as an alumnus of this same engineer battalion, Staff Officer (Lt. Col.) John Nance, NATO Joint Engineer Division at Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum, took advantage of the historical site\u2019s proximity to his duty station to hold his promotion ceremony.<\/p>\n

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\n Staff Officer (Lt. Col.) John Nance, NATO Joint Engineer Division at Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, stands at the memorial site of the 1944 river crossing where 48 American Soldiers are remembered for their sacrifice and bravery, on Jan. 15, 2025.
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Nance was familiar with the legacy of the engineers as he had participated and helped organize an annual commemorative event while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a decade earlier. Each year on the installation, the 307th reenacts the heroic 1944 crossing at a local lake.<\/p>\n

As of 2013, the city of Nijmegen finished construction of a new bridge, \u201cDe Oversteek\u201d (or \u201cThe Crossing\u201d in English), dedicated to the service of the 48 Soldiers who lost their lives during the transport across the river. As the sun sets each day, 48 pairs of light posts flicker on\u2014 pair by pair\u2014as a veteran walks the 12-minute stretch of the bridge. Nance took the historical opportunity to march the path with his Family and fellow servicemembers to lay a wreath at the memorial in remembrance of the Soldiers\u2019 sacrifice before his new rank was bestowed upon him.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach light is connected to a Soldier that was killed. It is a very humbling experience,\u201d said Nance.<\/p>\n

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\n At sunset each evening, 48 pairs of lights flicker on at marching pace on the new bridge \u201cDe Oversteek\u201d (or \u201cThe Crossing\u201d in English) in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, to commemorate the 48 American service members who died during the Waal River crossing mission Sept. 20, 1944. Each Soldier\u2019s name is listed on the memorial stone and a veteran walks the bridge every evening to pay homage to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
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The event had turned into a professional development outing for the entire division. The Nijmegen city\u2019s veterans\u2019 organization\u2014who ensures a veteran is available for the walk each evening no matter the weather\u2014and Dutch World War II reenactors were among the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are bonded with history as military [servicemembers],\u201d said Dutch Adjutant Jan Erpeka, NATO Joint Engineer Division at JFC Brunssum, and organizer of the professional development event. \u201cThe stories are still told \u2026 in the Netherlands.\u201d<\/p>\n

The significance of this commemoration and thousands of others nationwide are not lost on the younger generations as evidenced by the youthful participants in the reenactor group. Additionally, many other veterans have gone to great lengths to travel the length of the bridge to honor the troops.<\/p>\n

This past September, the 80th anniversary of the crossing brought the deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division along with 120 American Soldiers as part of more than 8,000 participants to the bridge.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the year, two veterans on separate occasions expressed their dying wishes to cross the bridge\u2014one in a wheelchair and the other in a hospital bed in the drenching rain\u2014and soon after both passed away.<\/p>\n

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\n A wreath is laid at the foot of the memorial in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, on Jan. 15, 2025, commemorating the 48 American service members who died during the Waal River crossing mission Sept. 20, 1944.
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\u201cWe have an amazing opportunity here in Europe. It\u2019s cool that 80 years later they are still erecting memorials,\u201d said Nance, as he emphasized the uniqueness of experiencing historical sites of bravery and taking time to remember those who previously served. \u201cFor anyone that would participate in the Sunset March, it\u2019s an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Members of the NATO Joint Engineer Division at Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, walk the memorial bridge in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Jan. 15, 2025. At sunset each evening, 48 pairs of lights flicker on at marching pace on the bridge \u201cDe Oversteek\u201d (or \u201cThe Crossing\u201d in English) to commemorate the 48 American service members who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415088,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-415086","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\/415086","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=415086"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415093,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415086\/revisions\/415093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/415088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=415086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=415086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=415086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}