This anonymous letter was found at the Jonkerbos War Cemetery at Nijmegen on 23rd September 1998.

I respect you. For the times when you were scared, terrified, lying in pools of blood, surrounded by tremendous noise and vibration and chaos. For the times when you had no where to go but only forward running into line and over dead heads and colleagues, when all you wanted to do was civil up in a ball and call for your mum to hold you. For the times when (you) had to make such difficult decisions when before the war you were only normal citizens making a living, for leaving your families when you never would see them again. An endless list …. I have always respect you but last night I saw ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and He really opened my eyes. I was in complete unrest. I felt like I was there, He will be the closest of being in your shoes. I can only start to imagine, but never will I have to live with the memories that you have. Nor have seen men who had no chance, who were in pieces the ground, crying, screaming, praying to God when all you hear is the sound of guns in your ears and explosions and smelling blood and fear. My God I hope He was with you during those times, I have never felt so hardly hit then when I watched that film. I always wear a Poppy in remembrance, give a minute silence, but now I thank you with everything I have got, for giving the life I have now. You all changed so much and life would be very different than what it is now. I feel anger towards those times. I cry for you. You will never be forgotten and I hope that God is looking after all the men who lived and died during those unimaginable and inhumane times. The film was amazing but also very disturbing. I shall not see it again but I thank Steven Spielberg for making it to open the eyes of everyone.

With love and total Respect TB_x

With love to my mums Uncle Kenny_x