Mrs. Hiltje van Eck from Ede, The Netherlands has received the medal of merit of the municipality of Ede on Friday, January 3rd.
Mayor René Verhulst presented the medal during the New Year's reception of the municipality.
The municipal administration of Ede awarded this municipal award to Mrs. Van Eck as a token of appreciation and gratitude for her efforts in the field of care of Arnhem Veterans.
The veterans, united in the AVC (former Arnhem Veterans Club), came after the lost Battle of Arnhem yearly to our region to commemorate their fallen comrades.
The Second World War is now long gone, and the number of people that the war period itself consciously experienced is getting smaller. Mrs Van Eck grew up in 'a real resistance environment' and considers it important that stories of the Second World War go on told and commemorate forever.
For over thirty years she put herself in numerous activities in relation to the Second World War and especially the aftermath of the lost Battle of Arnhem. She was director of the Arnhem 1944 Fellowship (formerly the AVC, Arnhem Veterans Club) and the Former Resistance Ede for years. She is also involved in the Airborne memorial and assisting veterans of the Battle of Arnhem.
It started with a reunion and this was extended with a lunch or dinner. Later on she found shelter and counselling regularly to all parts of the national commemoration program for Canadian and British veterans.
It is not so obvious, someone wants to talk about the war and will continue to remember it, which is highly appreciated by veterans and their relatives.
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