Five Brothers and a War

Finishing School

Undoubtedly, there had been a previous meeting between the two adults that had laid the groundwork for the return. Bertus had survived another year. But by now he was 18 years old, and he knew that school was really not for him. He had few options in front of him from which to choose. One option was to join the army, which had several benefits, not least of which was the lack of minimal educational levels. Bertus was young, strong and had the temperament of a warrior, so as he thought about it, this option became more and more attractive. One evening, at the dinner table, Bertus blurted out that he had decided to enlist. The response from Leendert was quick and decisive—“Over my dead body!” He thought about it for another moment, put down his knife and fork, and repeated, “Over my dead body!”. At this point, Bertus began to weave a yarn about being involved in the Dutch Resistance during the war—a tale that would last for decades through repetition by his brothers, sisters-in-law, and even the next generation of nieces and nephews. He said that he had already been a soldier, though not in the army. He was deeply involved to the point that he shot Germans. So, what was the difference in joining the army officially? His argument carried weight, though it was based on an active imagination. Bertus’ involvement with the Resistance was acting as a newspaper courier, as was previously described. The army was being reconstituted in order to fight the Indonesians, who had proclaimed their independence from Holland, and was eager to get new recruits. Most young men waited to be conscripted when they turned 20 years old, but this would have meant that Bertus would have to either return to school or get a job. Both options were unpalatable to him. But his parents knew that joining the army meant being shipped off to Indonesia and hated the idea. Having just had their lives dominated by five years of war, they were not eager to have a son in the army for four or five years fighting in another war. They originally suggested that Bertus should exercise patience and wait to be drafted. After a few days of thought, Leendert and Marie concluded that perhaps the army would be good for Bertus, and reluctantly gave their approval. Leendert, through his connections at the Department of Defense, was able to get Bertus drafted as a “conscripted volunteer” serving two years prior to the required year. In November 1946, Bertus was the youngest conscripted soldier in his battalion and perhaps the entire division. It did not take too long for Bertus to get into trouble. While still in training he managed to plant his fist into the face of a barracks mate who had made too much of a nuisance of himself. He got away with that one—the last time he ever was involved in a fistfight. After training for a number of months, it was finally time to ship out to Indonesia, where several of weeks later his brother and sister-in-law, Leen and Rita, would be heading— though under very different circumstances. The process of wrapping up and saying goodbye had to be undertaken, but Bertus was at least happy that his school days were forever behind him.

van Pelt

Five Brothers and a War

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