Il Silenzio—A Tribute to Allied WW II Soldiers

About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall winter of 1944.

Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries, has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted.  It is even the custom to keep a portrait of "their" American soldier in a place of honor in their home.  Annually, on "Liberation Day," memorial services are held for "the men who died to liberate Holland.”  The day concludes with a concert.  The final piece is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland's liberation.  It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.

This year the soloist was a 13-year-old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands).  This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.

Melissa Venema - soloist

http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet

After you watch the above web site, check out the below.

Our European legacy, in alphabetical order

1.  The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France...  A total of 2289

2.  The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium..  A total of 5329

3.  The American Cemetery at Brittany, France...  A total of 4410

4.  Brookwood, England - American Cemetery...  A total of 468

5.  Cambridge, England...  A total of 3812

6.  Epinal, France - American Cemetery...  A total of 5525

7.  Flanders Field, Belgium...  A total of 368

8.  Florence, Italy...  A total of 4402

9.  Henri-Chapelle, Belgium...  A total of 7992

10.  Lorraine, France...  A total of 10,489

11.  Luxembourg, Luxembourg...  A total of 5076

12.  Meuse-Argonne...  A total of 14246

13.  Netherlands, Netherlands...  A total of 8301

14.  Normandy, France...  A total of 9387

15.  Oise-Aisne, France...  A total of 6012

16.  Rhone, France...  A total of 861

17.  Sicily, Italy..  A total of 7861

18.  Somme, France...  A total of 1844

19.  St. Mihiel, France...  A total of 4153

20.  Suresnes, France...  A total of 1541

The count is 104,366 dead, brave Americans.