Dutch, WA16 participants recognize Netherlands Remembrance Day

Photo By Staff Sgt. Candace Mundt | Dutch military service members, with ally military partners of Western Accord 16, commemorate the Dutch Remembrance Day May 4, 2016 at Camp Zagre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. During the ceremony, international troops honored Dutch soldiers and civilians who have died since World War II during combat and peacetime operations by raising their national flag to half-mast. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Candace Mundt/Released)  

OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO

05.04.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Candace Mundt 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Last year, the Netherlands hosted Western Accord 15 for the Economic Community of West African States, European partner nations and U.S. Army Africa. This year, they joined their U.N. partners to commemorate Dutch Remembrance Day.
“I’m happy we could do this and I’m happy the allied forces who are with us joined us for the ceremony,” said Dutch Sgt. Maj. Rene Heijboer. “It doesn’t matter where we are, we just always remember the ones we lost.”
With permission from a Burkina Faso Armed Forces commander, the Netherlands’s flag rose to half-mast in the middle of Camp Zagre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to honor Dutch soldiers and civilians who have died since World War II during combat and peacetime operations.
“I feel for the comrades I lost and I knew a few of them by name in Afghanistan,” Heijboer said. “I’ve got some family members that are already gone that experienced World War II.”
Exercise participants observed a two-minute moment of silence after the flag was secured at its halfway mark. Military members also in the exercise stood around the flagpole with their Dutch partners to pay their respects as well.
“I think it was awesome that they decided to the ceremony out here,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Guarioaex Aquino, a general construction engineer with 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat, 3rd Infantry Division. “It is something different for all of us to experience.”
Although this was a Dutch day of remembrance, Aquino related to the observance’s connection to those who fought and died with allied forces.
“It’s a little bit personal for me,” Aquino said. “My grandfather served, my wife’s grandfather, may he rest in peace, he served too during the Second World War. So, I understand that what they did was really important.”
After the silence, the flag was raised to the top in celebration of Liberation Day.
“The Netherlands were liberated on the fifth of May, 1945 from the German forces and they did that with help from the Americans, Canadians, Polish and British,” Heijboer said. “We remember the day for giving back our freedom, for all the comrades that were lost during that fight…the day before.”
“It’s my duty to do that because we fought for something,” he said about holding the remembrance away from home. “It wouldn’t be right not to remember them today and celebrate tomorrow.”
Western Accord 16 is an annual combined, joint exercises designed to increase the ability of African partner forces and the U.S. to exercise participants’ capability and capacity to conduct African Union/United Nation mandated Peace Operations.

• Date Taken: 05.04.2016
• Date Posted: 05.05.2016 05:27
• Story ID: 197350
• Location: OUAGADOUGOU, BF