A SPECIAL HONOR

By Nancy L. K-T. (Tulip Talk February 2004)

Something wonderful is happening and you, with your connection to the AWCA, are a part of this happiness AND history in the making. Just keep reading and by the end of this article, you will feel really good. Promise!

But first, a little history to place current events in perspective. During WW II, when Germany occupied the Netherlands (May 10, 1940-May 5, 1945) the U.S. B-17 bomber, Man-O-War, was returning to Bassingbourn, England after a successful mission to take out a Nazi aircraft factory in Kassel, Germany. German Luftwaffe stationed on the Esterweg in Opijnen-a charming village nestled near the dike taming the Waal River-detected the 91st Bomb Group plane and lost no time in taking it out. Of those able to eject, only two escaped the merciless bullets the Luftwaffe sprayed at the defenseless airmen dangling from their parachutes. Of the ten-man crew, only the pilot, Keene McCammon, and his copilot, John Brice, survived. They were taken and interred for the remainder of the war in the infamous German stalags.

The Dutch working the fields that sunny July day stared in horror, then ran to the rescue. The Luftwaffe began shooting at the Dutch, who were saved only by the speed with which they took cover in a nearby ditch. Then the villagers were fired upon, after becoming enraged over the Luftwaffe's refusal to allow them to give water to the surviving soldiers or to bury the eight dead. The following day, a villager, passing by in a horse-drawn wagon, was ordered by the Germans to gather up the bodies. Orders insisted the burials take place after dark to prohibit villagers from attending. Despite this, everyone awoke the next morning to a sea of flowers covering the graves. Until this day, the eight remain buried in the cemetery next to the Hervormde (Reformed) church. At the special request of the Opijnen villagers, and with permission from the eight families, these men are among the few American soldiers not buried in the military cemeteries at Margraten and Rhenen.

One of the witnesses, Hendrik de Kock, spent his life caring for the graves of these eight Americans: Navigator Robert U. Duggan, Bombardier Daniel V. Ohman, Radioman Douglas V. Blackwood, Engineer Americo Cianfichi, Ball Turret Gunner Mike A. Perrotta, Tail Gunner Hermon D. Poling, and Waist Gunners Harold R. Sparks and George R. Krueger. He personally tended their graves until he became too old. Another witness, J.A.C. van Arkel (Mr. de Kock's brother-in-law) continues to play organ music at the church memorial services for the soldiers.

The AWCA has been involved in annual memorial services since 1949. The AWCA, along with a donation from the Betty MacDonald Foundation, placed a special monument by the church in 1983 when Keene McCammon, his wife, Bonney Jean, and John Bruce also attended the 40th anniversary service. For the 60th Anniversary, as the AWCA Opijnen Memorial Service coordinators, Lucy C and I wanted to organize a special service. To this end, I contacted Keene McCammon and John Bruce.

During these preparations, Keene mentioned that he would like to make a financial gift to thank the Opijnen people for their enduring care of his crewmen. The final decision was a gift to Hendrik de Kock and Douwe de Vries, a public official who's organized the memorial services on behalf of Opijnen since 1961. Furthermore, a larger gift, generously matched by John Bruce, the AWCA and the Gemeente (municipality) of Neerijnen (11 villages, including Opijnen, will double the McCammon-Bruce gift) would be used for a remarkable memorial. I was to have the honor of presenting these gifts after the May 4, 2003 Opijnen Memorial Service. Unfortunately, to the shock and sadness of all, Hendrik de Kock died the evening of May 3. He wished for the May 4 service to proceed. It did.

It was decided to delay the presentation and give the memorial gift intended for Mr. de Kock to his granddaughter, Anoeshka, on her 18th birthday, December 18, 2003. Anoeshka, a warm, energetic young woman born and raised in Opijnen, long accompanied her grandfather to the annual memorial service, and promised to honor his request to carry on in his footsteps. Compounding the sadness, Keene McCammon unexpectedly passed away October 22, 2003, only three weeks before his 88th birthday and eight weeks before the scheduled presentation of his special gift.

Despite this sorrow, I presented Keene and Bonney Jean's gifts with a joyful heart and conveyed the value of John's memorial gift on a crisp, chilled, very sunny December 18, 2003 to Anoeshka, Mr. de Vries and Neerijnen Mayor A.W.H.M. Jansen. I translated a message from Bonney Jean and shared my belief that Keene was with us by way of the fantastic weather after so many gloomy, rainy days. After the stunning surprise (only the Mayor knew about the gifts), we were joined by AWCA Vice President, Christa O, to do one of the most incredible things I've ever done. It was equally special for her and in absentia, for Lucy C, who was in the U.S. and unable to personally participate.

It was all Mayor Jansen's idea. Upon learning of the planned gift to Opijnen, Mayor Jansen proposed naming the streets in the new Opijnen housing development, 't Zandpad, for all eight men, and a memorial plaque explaining why the streets are named for those men buried 300 meters away. And so Christa and I, along with Anoeshka, Douwe de Vries, Henk Hak from the Gemeente and Ludolf van Lith from the housing commission, laid out the computer drawings of the housing development and named the streets!

The whole experience was a pure treat; we worked together in harmony meeting the concerns and requests of all present, including picking Mr. Lith's favorite name for the street on which he'll live. We even were able to include Keene and John's names-in fact, the center of the 70-home development will have a green park area called McCammonplein ("square"; although it's really oval-shaped) and the street around the oval will be Brucestraat. The name most difficult for Dutch to pronounce, Cianfichipoort will be used for the entrance port which has no house addresses. The next two most challenging names will be walking paths (no addresses): Ohmanpad and Kruegerpad. The two names easiest for Dutch to pronounce, and with logical spellings, will be used for the streets with the most homes: Blackwoodstraat and Polingstraat. The entrance into 't Zandpad will be Dugganstraat and the first two streets it crosses will be: Sparksstraat and Perrottastraat.

After a delicious lunch hosted by the Mayor, and a walk around the first Neerijnen Kerstmarkt (Christmas Market), Christa and I drove separately to 't Zandpad. Shortly after arriving to explore the soon-to-be-streets we had just named, two jet fighters streaked through the sky. Calling Christa's attention to the significance, she added, "There's Keene again!"

It doesn't end here. Mayor Jansen has agreed to have an official unveiling of the street signs after the May 4, 2004 Opijnen Memorial Service. Our hope is that John Bruce and Bonney Jean McCammon, along with their families, will do the honors. The commemorative plaque on McCammonplein is planned for unveiling after the May 4, 2005 service. Please be sure to join us for these May 4th services and at 't Zandpad, just 500 meters from where the eight men of Man-O-War made the greatest of sacrifices so that we may live in peace and freedom.