Today we remember Marv’s uncle, Chester Roelofs, who died during WWII in the Battle of the Bulge.

A few years ago, we found his name inscribed in a line up of long, rectangular, ground-level  slabs in Ardennes National Cemetery in Belgium. It was an awesome moment–to see all the names of people whose bodies were never recovered.

With the help of Google, I found this document this morning:

Gold Star Deaths of the Christian Reformed Church in North America  (1941-1973)

Uncle Chester’s information is listed as follows:

Roelofs, Chester A. – T/5 United States Army
Birth: 06/09/1918.
Entered service: 03/12/1942
Death: 12/19/1944, Battle of the Bulge
Parents: Bolt, Mr. and Mrs. Arend
Home: Prinsburg, MN;
Church: Prinsburg, MN Christian Reformed Church
Obituary in Young Calvinist: Apr 1946, p. 12

Also, I found a vivid account of Alfred Marcus’ years of service, including how he met up with hometown friend Chester Roelofs just before Chester died. You can read this fascinating account here. Uncle Chester is mentioned on page eight.

On this Memorial Day, we take a moment to pause and reflect…and to be thankful for the sacrifices of  military families everywhere.