The Faces of Margraten project in the Netherlands is a tribute to the American soldiers who fought and died to liberate Europe during World War II. Sebastiaan Vonk, the chair of Fields of Honor, founded the project to honor the 10,000 American GI’s buried or memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. Dutch families have adopted all 10,000 soldiers, with a waiting list of people looking to adopt should the opportunity arise. The project aims to pair each name at the cemetery with the face of the U.S. war hero, humanizing the cost of war and honoring the sacrifices made by the United States.
The photos, known as the Faces of Margraten, are placed next to the adopted GI’s grave or name for five days each year. The project has expanded to five other American battlefield cemeteries in Europe, with the goal of finding adoptive families for the 42,000 American GIs memorialized in those cemeteries. The Dutch adoption families research their soldier’s history, often connecting with their families in the United States and tending to their graves. Vonk himself adopted Lawrence F. Shea, an ordinary boy and sports lover from Brooklyn who served in World War II and was killed near Margraten in 1945.
The success of the Faces of Margraten project has led to its expansion to American military cemeteries in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. The goal is to ensure that all 42,000 American war heroes memorialized in those cemeteries find adoptive families, and to pair photos with every GI at each cemetery. Vonk hopes to continue to honor the sacrifices of American soldiers and maintain the gratitude and inspiration felt by people in Europe towards their American liberators. The project relies on the support of Americans to help locate photos and documents of the soldiers, encouraging individuals to reach out to libraries, historical societies, and veterans associations to contribute to the effort.
The project aims to ensure that the sacrifices of American soldiers in Europe are never forgotten, and to continue honoring their memory for generations to come. By connecting grateful adoptive European families with American war heroes, the project highlights the enduring impact of the sacrifices made during World War II. The adoption of soldiers by Dutch families symbolizes the gratitude felt by Europeans towards the American liberators and serves as a lasting reminder of the global sacrifices made by the United States in overseas conflicts. The Faces of Margraten project is a testament to the enduring bond between the people of the Netherlands and the American soldiers who fought for their freedom.
