Two Apeldoorn men honoured for Canadian war veteran causes

Canada’s Meritorious Service Medals go abroad

OTTAWA - Community activists Klaas Huisman and Jan Koorenhof will receive the Meritorious Service Medal from the Canadian government in a ceremony this Fall. The two men from the central Dutch city of Apeldoorn will join four countrymen who have received the medal in the past.

In their hometown, Huisman and Koorenhof have organized a number of events for Canadian veterans returning to the Netherlands for the annual Liberation festivities and commemorations. Koorenhof was a driving force behind the inception of the Dutch national monument, the ‘Man with Two Hats,’ which honours Canadian Liberators at home and with a replica in Ottawa. In the citation for the medal, Huisman as well is descibed as a ‘true friend’ of the veterans.

Meritorious Service Decorations, in military and civilian divisions, each with a decoration or a medal, celebrate Canadians and foreigners thus far 32 whose “accomplishments make all Canadians proud. These outstanding people athletes, soldiers, scholars, community activists have contributed to Canadian society, at home and abroad, through their determination, talent and excellence.”