by Royetta Simmons Doe, Member
When my father, Roy P. Simmons, was on his way to the Battle of the Bulge, he was a young 26-year-old husband and father who had never traveled outside the United States. He was lonely and homesick when he reached the Netherlands in the fall of 1944, but soon found a home away from home when the Army placed him with the Meex family of Hulsberg. They treated him like a member of their family and Roy became especially close with their son Alfons, who taught him some Dutch words, played games with him, and discussed family life.
As part of the 333rd Infantry, Company A, Roy received orders to proceed to the front and join the Ardennes Campaign. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge on December 26, 1944 and received The Purple Heart. He was one of the lucky soldiers that returned home. Although he rarely spoke of the war, as a child I remember him speaking with gratitude of the Meex family and of his warm welcome into their home.
After my mother and father died, I inherited a shoebox full of war letters. As I was perusing them, I found correspondence from the Meex family. One letter thanked my father for giving Alfons Meex a pair of boots. The Dutch suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis and endured shortages of necessities like clothing, shoes and even food. I knew I had to find this family and thank them for their kindness all those years ago.
Netherlands during WWII.
After writing letters to the townhall in Hulsberg, local churches, and even a letter to the return address on the yellowed envelopes—I finally found them! Unfortunately, the writer of the letters had passed away, but I reached his daughter and a niece and nephew. We are now Facebook friends and I hope someday soon to meet them in person. They have offered a tour of the Margraten American cemetery, which contains 8,300 graves of brave Americans who fought and died to defeat Hitler’s forces during their last offensive, and which is near their home. The Dutch have not forgotten the American soldiers buried at Margraten and honor them with a memorial ceremony each year on Liberation Day.