Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and A Forever Promise Forged in World War II

Throughout Remember Us, Robert Edsel illustrates that freedom—while invaluable—comes at a steep and often personal moral cost. By weaving together the stories of soldiers, civilians, and survivors, Edsel underscores that the price of liberation should be measured in both battlefield casualties and in moral compromises, emotional sacrifices, and irreversible loss. Every character in this narrative must confront what freedom means to them and what they are willing to sacrifice to achieve it.

Emilie Michiels van Kessenich is a defining example of someone who sacrifices her reputation and safety for a principle. As the wife of Maastricht’s mayor under Nazi occupation, Emilie walks a tightrope between private defiance and public restraint. Her choice to organize dances for Allied soldiers after liberation is an act of gratitude and healing, but it sparks criticism from religious leaders and neighbors, revealing how acts meant to uplift can be misread or condemned. Her story reflects the enduring tension between public duty and private conviction.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole offers another portrait of sacrifice, leading his men across exposed terrain in a bayonet charge during the Battle of Carentan. His death days later in