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Podcast: Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
Episode: Robert Edsel: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom and Enduring Gratitude
Description: To remind us that civilizational alliances are not merely transactional, Robert Edsel tells personal World War II stories from the rural province of Limburg.Â
Before dawn on May 10, 1940, Hitler’s forces invaded the Netherlands, shattering more than 100 years of peace. The Dutch lived through four-and-a-half years of occupation until September 1944, when American forces reached Limburg—the last portion of Europe west of Germany to be liberated by the Allies. Edsel follows 12 main characters over a six-year span, including Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; Sergeant Jeff Wiggi...