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Monuments Men and Women Foundation and Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten Announce Launch of the Forever Promise Project
- Monuments Men and Women Fnd
- Apr 16
- 4 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Initiative Honors and Remembers American WWII Soldiers by Connecting Their Family Members with Dutch Adopters
DALLAS, TX — April 16, 2025 — The Monuments Men and Women Foundation and the Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten (Stichting Adoptie Graven Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten) proudly announce the launch of the Forever Promise Project, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to completing the mission of the founders of the Dutch grave adoption program.
In September 1945, Mrs. Emilie Michiels van Kessenich, wife of the mayor of Maastricht, capital of the Dutch province of Limburg, wrote US President Harry Truman to explain the intent of the grave adoption program.
“I have been thinking, if there could not be done something for the relatives of those brave Americans, who gave their lives for our liberation.… And now that most of the Army has gone back to the States, and only your fallen heroes remain in our soil, we want to establish a lasting tie between their relatives and our people.”
For 80 years, Dutch adopters have honored all 10,000 Americans who are buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery or recognized on the Walls of the Missing. But the Dutch adopters only have about twenty-five percent of the names and contact information of their next of kin. The objective of the Forever Promise Project is to gather that information and connect each of the Dutch adopters to a family member of the American men and women they watch over.
The Forever Promise Project creates the path to recognize and honor not only the American men and women whose sacrifice helped restore freedom to the Netherlands and other European nations, but also the Dutch grave adopters who eight decades ago promised to watch over their liberators, like their own, forever. “By connecting the Dutch adopters with the American next of kin, we personalize history—we put a name and a face on it—and ensure that these sacrifices are not just recorded in history books, but actively remembered and honored by future generations,” said Anna Bottinelli, president of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation. “This effort resonates deeply with our mission to preserve cultural heritage—both tangible and intangible. Captain Walter Huchthausen, the only American Monuments Man killed in combat during World War II, is buried at Margraten, making this project especially meaningful to us.”
This project is closely tied to the launch of Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II, the new book by #1 New York Times bestselling author—and founder and chairman of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation—Robert M. Edsel, which details the deeply personal connections formed between Dutch families and the American soldiers who liberated their homeland.
“The Dutch grave adoption program is a story of humanity, gratitude, and freedom,” said Edsel. “Dutch families have honored their promise to remember the Americans who gave their lives for freedom. The Forever Promise Project provides an opportunity for the American public to help finish that mission. By searching the foreverpromise.org database of names of those who are buried in Margraten and answering a short questionnaire, American next of kin can be connected to their Dutch adopter at no expense and thus realize the founders’ forever promise.”
“The people of Margraten have long felt a deep responsibility to remember these brave American men and women,” said Frans Roebroeks, representative of the Stichting Adoptie Graven Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten. “The Forever Promise Project provides us with the best chance to finish what the founders of the grave adoption program started: connect each of the over 8,000 Dutch adopters with the American family members of the soldier they watch over. It is inspiring to see our sacred mission expanded beyond our borders, courtesy of Mr. Edsel and the Monuments Men and Women Foundation.”
For more information about the Forever Promise Project and how to get involved, please visit www.foreverpromise.org.
For press materials, including high-resolution logos, please visit our press kit at this link.
About Monuments Men and Women Foundation
The Monuments Men and Women Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the importance of respecting and preserving our shared cultural heritage. The Foundation has raised worldwide awareness about the Monuments Men and Women through film, television, and books; honored their military service through the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal—the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States; continued their mission locating and returning missing cultural objects to their rightful owners; and preserved their legacy through a partnership with The National WWII Museum that has made the Foundation’s incomparable archives and artifacts accessible to students and scholars from around the world. To give, advocate, volunteer or learn more, visit www.mmwf.org.
About Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten
The Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten (Stichting Adoptie Graven Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten) was created in February 1945 to encourage Dutch citizens to express their gratitude for their American liberators by adopting their graves. To qualify, volunteers agreed to regularly visit the adopted grave and remain in touch with soldiers’ next of kin in the United States where next of kin information was available. The campaign gained massive support. By the second Memorial Day in 1946, 100 percent of the nearly 18,000 graves had been adopted, but the next-of-kin information was available for only twenty percent of those buried. To this day, few Americans know about the Dutch grave adoption program. Some are not even aware that a family member is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery. By commemorating one soldier together, the Margraten Adoption Program connects American and Dutch citizens. Together they commemorate from a shared past and a common future. It forms an inspiration for everyday life and teaches an important life lesson: freedom cannot be taken for granted. Learn more at www.adoptiegraven-margraten.nl/en.
Media Contact:
Shelby Landgraf
+1 214-219-1222
What is the significance of the Forever Promise Project in preserving the Block Blast legacy of American WWII soldiers and the Dutch grave adoption program?