But all who received the MWO would say that they
were only doing their duty.
And, although only a few received the award - there
were countless men who served, who did their duty
silently, and who did not receive this recognition.
Furthermore, many civilians, like our mother, were
taken to camps to serve out the war behind barbed
wired fences.
Some may only associate the three values of the
MWO with the past.
However, these three values are alive today in
the men and women who serve in defense of The
Netherlands.
There are families here who may have a son or
daughter, or a husband or wife, or a brother or
sister serving. They know the sacrifices that have
been made. They know that the three values are
very much alive today.
The Luchtmacht Museum is a not only window into
the past - it is also a living display.
The Museum successfully teaches what it means
to serve in the defense of The Netherlands and its
allies.
Through the Museum, the values and sacrifices
made by those who served are transmitted to future
generations. That is why the work of the Stichting is
so important.
Now about Tub Bruggink.
First, Tub would be
embarrassed by all of this
attention.
He would probably say his
name is on this plane for four
reasons:
His flight instructors
His fellow pilots
His good flight mechanics
And his share of blind luck or
concidence.
I would simply say that my
father was a man who saw
himself as doing his duty,
playing a small role as one of
many actors on a large world
stage.
Tub Bruggink met our mother,
Corien Zonderop in 1941 on a
Sgt vl-wnrG.M. "Tub" Bruggink in 1947
foto: via Luuk Boerman
blind date, in the Café Bogereijen in Bandoeng. They
married in January of 1942.
Like many others, they were separated for over three
and half years. Tub became a prisoner in Thailand:
Corien was in a camp in Java.
After the war, my parents, and Eric and I moved to
the United States in 1955. We became United States
citizens in 1960. But we never forgot our Dutch
heritage. We always heard Dutch spoken at home.
However, it was different when our parents talked
of money matters. For example, when they talked
about our allowance. When it came to "onze zak
geld", our parents would speak in Maleis. Eric and I
did not understand a single word!
Tub had a long and distinguished career in aviation
safety and was known around the world in that
field.
He received many awards for his contributions to
flight safety. He retired as Deputy Director for the
National Transportation Safety Board.
After his retirement. Tub and Corien moved to
Alabama. Their home was near Fort Rucker. That
is where Dutch pilots receive helicopter training.
Tub and Corien's home became a second home for
many Dutch pilots and their families. Some of these
families are here today. It is good to see them.
Tub's contact with pilots and his interest in flight
safety kept his intellectual spirit alive, many years
after his retirement. He
kept writing professionally
for almost 20 years after he
retired.
Tub was born in Twente, in
Tubbergen. He was the oldest
of four brothers and four
sisters.
The nickname Tub was given
to him when he and other
Grenadiers sailed to Java on
the the Jan Pieterszoon Coen
in 1939.
Before his military service.
Tub went to the Catholic
seminary in Soesterberg for
four years studying to be a
priest. Let me read from a
letter that Tub wrote some
years ago to Ben Bruggink,
his brother, of Oldenzaal.
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