M. Ruben Jansen,

Dear Ruben,

Thank you so much for your kind letter of 17 February 2005. I think it very important, and very wise, that young people such as yourself should learn about the important history that took place in our area during the Second World War. I try very hard to tell Canadian boys and girls about these activities of their grand parents, but our children do not have the advantage that you do of seeing first hand the places of battle and the artifacts and souvenirs of those long ago days.

I remember your village of Etten, not only from the Liberation days of 31 March 1945, but also from my visit there in 2000.

Ruben, I am now 82 ½ years old. I was just 22 when we liberated Etten.

Since you are a boy, you might not yet be aware that ladies don’t like to tell their age! But I can tell you that my wife was a young school teacher when I met her in Nijmegen on New Year’s Eve 1944. We married in Nijmegen in June 1945, soon after the end of the fighting. We have six children, four girls and two boys. We have ten grand children, five girls and five boys. One of the boys is about your age. We even have a great grandson about two years old, and hi little sister, only a few months old. But they all live far from here.

To answer your question, everyone with any sense is scared some times. But one must try to do one’s duty even when you are scared.

Yes, I know many old soldiers from both the South Saskatchewan Regiment and other units I have served in, or come in contact with. I was in the ?Army for 6 and a half years in the War, four years as a boy cadet before that, and ten years after the war when the North Koreans attacked the South, but as a scientist. I also write up the history of the 38 battles we took part in, and have begun to put them up on our web site. M. Helmes or M. Poodt can tell you what their URL is.

You are like most boys, and even many girls in liking computer games. But it is important that you learn as much as you can while you are lucky enough to be in school, and even after school!

I hope we will see you in Etten in May.

Tot siens, jonge man. De groeten van professor en mevrouw Law. Ik hoop dat u onze historische plaque leuk zullen vinden.