"You have to have been occupied to appreciate what freedom really means! And when you do you never forget who gave it to you!" Words of wisdom and truth.

It were the Canadians. The Welsh. The Polish brigade. IF they wouldn't have been here liberating the Netherlands, risking their lives, I might not be here now. And we will never forget. Never.

That's why we will always be on Canada's side, we don't forget. We still keep the graves clean and tidy that's the least we can do.
The Canadians are not forgotten and will never be forgotten! Thank you Canada.

To die for your own freedom is one thing, but to die for the freedom of others is a sacrifice that should never be forgotten.

I live near the Canadian Military Cemetery in Holten...

Each year before Christmas a very large portion of villages around will come together. About a thousand children will all have a little lantern and place it near to a grave.

It's to make sure to let these heroes known they're not forgotten...ever.

It's beautiful.

I'm weeping watching this. I'm so proud to be Canadian.

Every single grave of the fallen soldiers at the Dutch war cemeteries are adopted by Dutch families who take care of the graves and bring flowers to them and are often in touch with the soldiers families. Even today there are waiting lists of people who want to fulfill this honour.....that is how we feel about our liberators!

I am now a Dutch Canadian, i was born in the beginning of the war, i remember the last two years of the war. I became a Royal Dutch navy man ( 7 YEARS ) and a diver (frogman ). And proud to have served . Now living in Canada for fifty two years and a proud member of the Royal Canadian legion for over fifty years and proud of it.

I'm from The Netherlands
We will always remembering and honor the Canadian veterans🙏❤️
My grandmother was pregnant in war from my dad, she ate tulipbolls for 6, months to keep herself and her baby in life
My grandfather survived a Kamp but he had nightmares as long as I can remember, and when I came out of bed looking for him I saw my grandfather crying so hard with his hand in front his mouth not wanted to make noise
These moments I can't forget so devastating
We remembering and honoring Canadian veterans and their family members each and every year because of these veterans we are freed from more cruelty
Because of the Canadian veterans we live in freedom and peace
These veterans will always be remembered and honored we are raised this way and I'm 55 years old and I've raised my 6 kids the same way
Forever grateful 🙏 words only can't explain the love we have and still feel for these veterans and families ❤ they are in our thoughts and hearts and each year we honor them and their family and celebrate the liberation.
It will always be this way generation after generation 🙏
Much love sending ❤

I was born after the war.  As an adult, I met a man in his 80s who now lived in Canada.  When I told him my father was one of the Canadian soldiers who liberated 2 places in The Netherlands, he started to cry and hugged me so hard.  He wanted to meet my father, who unfortunately had died several years before.  I'll never forget that.

Shoutout to Peter Mansbridge for this segment. He always does a fantastic job

As a Canadian ..im humbled by the dutches praise hour our soldiers ❤…one Canadian❤

My grandfather was a Canadian liberator in the Netherlands, he had a 6 week affair with my grandmother after my city was liberated. That was just enough to get her pregnant, at that time is was not socially accepted to have a child from a foreign soldier without being married, after this she married a dutch man that came back frome the Indonesian war, and he adopted my father as his own, this was possible du to a special law they had made for overseas soldiers. My father asked my grandmother many times about his real father, but she didn't tell him much. He tried a couple of times with special search organisation's but he didn't succeed in finding him. My father died 2 years ago, but still when I see pictures of Canadian liberators I find myself looking for facial features that might look like my father. Although I didn't know my real grandfather, I am still proud that I'm his grandson

We're not only thankfull for what the Canadian soldiers did, but also for the American and British soldiers

My grandparents took a Canadian veterinarian in their house after the war, we visited him in Canada and he came back here a few times, he sadly passes away a few years ago, but I will never forget his stories. Each year on may 5th we hang the Canadian flag outside that he gifted to us. He was an amazing man and I will never ever forget him. His daughters still visit us every single year!

I am a Canadian with Dutch relatives. They never let me forget what our country did for them.
Thank you for this.
🇨🇦 🍁

A good friend was a child living in an orphanage in Zwolle Netherlands during the war eating potato  peaks and cabbage leaves. His town  was liberated by a single Canadian soldier. Leo Major the one eyed scout.

The Dutch know more about Canada's role during WW2 than most Canadians. I remember seeing that parade on the CBC with the Vets. There were tears everywhere including self here at home.

My grandma actually remembers when the canadians came into our neighbour town. They soon came to my small town and they handed her chocolate. The first chocolate she ever had, and the best, so she says

This is my hometown (Apeldoorn). I am a child of a war generation (my parents were 15 and 18 at the start of WWII). The house of my kids' grandparents still has German bullets in the walls. Evidence of what happend 76 years ago is still here.
We learned what freedom is the moment we lost it. That is why it is important to teach our children about freedom, and pass on the memories. 'Lest we forget'.

(and of course, the Dutch like to party. Give them an opportunity, and they will use it ;-) )
Thank you for this reaction video.