WEBVTT

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From the first day , you're a

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paratrooper . You realize you're part

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of an organization that remembers its

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history and coming to events such as

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Market Garden is a perfect opportunity

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to tie the past to the present , to

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demonstrate and show the similarities

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that exist amongst paratroopers of all

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generations . And to remember the

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sacrifices of those that came before us .

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It's definitely an honor and privilege

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to get to take part in these

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celebrations . I definitely have a

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strong personal connection to this

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country . My parents immigrated to the

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United States in 1996 . My parents told

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us a lot about the period of occupation

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here in the Netherlands . One thing I

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didn't know growing up is that the the

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unit that the , that the Dutch are so

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grateful for is the 82nd airborne . And

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so to get to come back here , 80 years

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later , as part of the division that

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liberated my family really means a lot

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to me , amongst our partners and allies .

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You really start to feel that when

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you're given the opportunity to jump

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with , train with and celebrate and

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recognize with events that have taken

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place in the past . And I think all of

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our paratroopers have not only enjoyed

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that aspect of being here , but I think

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they've learned from it as well . We

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talk about honor and duty every day in

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the 82nd . And to be here to celebrate

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with those people and veterans who have

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served in the division during that

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period , as well as civilians here in

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the Netherlands who are liberated by

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the 82nd airborne . Really just puts

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into perspective what it means to

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sacrifice and to serve .