On May 10th of 1940 Germany invaded the Netherlands. For the next four years the Dutch suffered under the weight of Nazi occupation. This occupation ended when allied troops liberated the nation in September of 1944.

Pictured below is a 65-acre cemetery in the Netherlands where 8,301 U.S. servicemen are buried who died in the fighting there. The Dutch have given this land to the United States, but the local citizens themselves continue to care for the graves. There is a waiting list of 300 local families waiting for their turn to adopt a grave as their own to honor these who gave their last full measure of devotion.

The Germans had also invaded Czechoslovakia in March of 1939. The city of Pilsen was liberated on May 6th, 1945 by General George Patton’s 16th armored division thus ending six long years of oppression.

In gratitude, the citizens of Pilsen celebrate with a parade of their own citizens in U.S. military uniforms, carrying U.S. gear including weapons and driving U.S. military vehicles from that era. There is a school named after General Patton and a museum remembering the advance of U.S. forces and the day of liberation.