Operation Market Garden came to a halt in the Betuwe in late September 1944. The front stiffened along the river Linge, and sudden shell and sniper fire made the lives of the soldiers difficult. Autumn rains also caused flooding, meaning that the foxholes flooded. From early December, things got even worse when German troops blew up the Rijndijk near Elden. Much of the Betuwe flooded and he No Man's Land became a 'No Man's Water'.

Meanwhile, friend and foe alike had evacuated the citizenry en masse. No matter where the exodus took the residents, everyone felt displaced. It was not until early April 1945 that the war ended in the Over-Betuwe and the Allies then captured the still occupied part of the region.

'The Wing' is a symbol that refers to all these acts of war and is a metaphor for those who are not yet free from war. Breaking free, mentally, from the violence of war is a long process: unprocessed pain and misery are a handicap which stops one being fully capable.

The quest for redemption from war pain applies to both mthe ilitary and civilians, and understanding and attention can have a healing effect. For that reason, this memorial is also an ode to those who stay in our midst as war refugees and to veterans, who have been on a peace mission.

Forget death
and you have no life.
Forget the war
and you have no peace.