The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is honored to host #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert M. Edsel as part of the museum’s Author Talk series on Wednesday, April 23, at 11:00 a.m. This special program marks the launch of his highly anticipated new book, Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II, set for release on April 29, 2025, with Harper Horizon.
This program is free and open to the public, registration is requested at https://forms.gle/pdCnqp9RDNEWv3F3A
About the Book:
Remember Us begins in the pre-dawn hours of Hitler’s invasion of Western Europe on May 10, 1940, when his forces rolled into the small province of Limburg in the Netherlands, shattering more than 100 years of peace. After enduring more than four years of occupation, the Dutch people saw their freedom restored when American forces reached Limburg in September 1944. This marked the final portion of the Allies’ liberation of Western Europe before their advance on Nazi Germany was halted.
Remember Us is a compelling ensemble narrative that chronicles the lives of twelve central characters over a six-year span including Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama only to face a new indignity: digging graves in wartime Europe; and Frieda van Schäik, a teenager who falls in love with an American soldier.
In this rich, dramatic, and suspenseful story, both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude are captured, showcasing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. Drawing on never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, on the battlefields and inside American homes. Remember Us is a reminder that grief is universal, that humanity knows no national or racial boundaries, and that we all want to be remembered, somehow, someway, by somebody.
About the Author
Robert M. Edsel is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of four non-fiction books including Rescuing da Vinci, Saving Italy, and The Monuments Men, which served as the basis for Academy Award recipient George Clooney’s 2014 film. Mr. Edsel has been honored with the Texas Medal of the Arts; the President’s Call to Service Award; the Hope for Humanity Award, presented by the Dallas Holocaust Museum; and the Foundation for the National Archives’ Records of Achievement Award.
In 2022, the United States Army and the Smithsonian Institution made Mr. Edsel an honorary graduate of the first Army Monuments Officer Training Program, an idea Mr. Edsel advocated for nearly twenty years. Mr. Edsel is also the Founder and Chairman of the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, recipient of the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President George W. Bush. Learn more about Robert M. Edsel at robertedsel.com