HENDRIK BERGEN hendrikbergen@gmail.com I was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on February 29, 1944, almost four years into the Second World War. There was not much of anything around but war. The Germans had destroyed the inner city in 1940. The British were trying to damage the harbor as much as they could to destroy it as a port for the German Navy. Then came D-day and the Allied troops were advancing quickly. The south of the Netherlands became free from the Germans, but then a little miscalculation, One Bridge Too Far. The liberation stopped in its tracks, at least for the rest of the Netherlands. The winter of 1944/1945 was harsh and there was little food or anything else for that matter. Finally in May 1945, the war came to an end, but I was already admitted to a hospital. For me the liberation came just in time to save my life. I am forever thankful to the Americans, Canadians, the Swedes for dropping food over the Netherlands and anyone else who came in time for me. Naturally, my opinion about Germans has been influenced by all this, but what I really hate is that they are usually better in football (soccer) than we are. My wife, Joke, and I came to the U.S.A., Princeton, New Jersey, in September of 1975 and moved to Houston within one year. Finally, after enjoying several years on our property in the Round Top/Carmine area, we moved officially in 2012 to this American-German community. enough 1 Deep Dark Night (See Guest Poetry) 2 Homeland Security: Formerly INS 3 Happenings at 70 4 Laundry Day--a Childhood Memory (See Guest Poetry) 5 Glass Fusing Experience

HENDRIK BERGEN

I was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on February 29, 1944, almost four years into the Second World War. There was not much of anything around but war. The Germans had destroyed the inner city in 1940. The British were trying to damage the harbor as much as they could to destroy it as a port for the German Navy. Then came D-day and the Allied troops were advancing quickly. The south of the Netherlands became free from the Germans, but then a little miscalculation, One Bridge Too Far. The liberation stopped in its tracks, at least for the rest of the Netherlands. The winter of 1944/1945 was harsh and there was little food or anything else for that matter. Finally in May 1945, the war came to an end, but I was already admitted to a hospital. For me the liberation came just in time to save my life. I am forever thankful to the Americans, Canadians, the Swedes for dropping food over the Netherlands and anyone else who came in time for me. Naturally, my opinion about Germans has been influenced by all this, but what I really hate is that they are usually better in football (soccer) than we are.

My wife, Joke, and I came to the U.S.A., Princeton, New Jersey, in September of 1975 and moved to Houston within one year. Finally, after enjoying several years on our property in

the Round Top/Carmine area, we moved officially in 2012

to this American-German community.

enough

1 Deep Dark Night (See Guest Poetry)

2 Homeland Security: Formerly INS

3 Happenings at 70

4 Laundry Day--a Childhood Memory (See Guest Poetry)

5 Glass Fusing Experience

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