T
Well, he never really spoke about this war and what it did to him. One thing I know, someone told me - he had been forced to choose between his life or that of some other Dutch guy - he choose to save his own. So they shot the other.
Such things leave deep marks. No doubt.
Anyway, this documentary told about war crimes, comitted by the Dutch, so probably by my father too (although he wasn't my father yet at that time of course) As a child I was very connected to my father. There is a memory, a picture in me, hiding in a hole in the ground, a well and a feeling of something awful happening. That's not my memory, meaning I didn't experience something like that in this lifetime - I'm pretty sure it's part of my fathers legacy.
My father died a long time ago. Especially the last year of his life he was very troubled. I guess by his memories, he didn't speak about it with his children. He did speak with my brother in law though (he died too, some years ago now) that's why I know - but I do not know what happened to him in this war (or WOII for that matter - he was just a boy then, and my mother even younger)
In this documentary was this man, survivor of this war in Indonesia, that wrote a book about what happened - about the war crimes. Maybe I will read it, not sure yet. Would it assist in letting out pictures?
Have to look up the name though, something like 'Boonstra' he is called, the writer. Graa Boomsma -De laatste tyfoon
"Indië 1945-1949: ze heetten politionele acties, al komt er geen politie aan te pas. Er komt na de acties een onderzoek naar oorlogsmisdaden, gepleegd door het Nederlandse leger en een bronnenpublicatie. Het duurt 25 jaar eer deze publicatie verschijnt en verdwijnt vervolgens in de la."
