The resilience of wounded soldiers is impressive. The Invictus Games show that. But soldiers have been earning much more respect for years than they received until recently, writes our editor-in-chief Rennie Rijpma.
While war has been raging two thousand kilometers eastwards for more than fifty days, the Invictus Games are about to start in The Hague. ‘Olympic Games’ for injured soldiers.
Former Army General Mart de Kruif told Sven Kockelmann in his radio program that during the 2018 edition in Sydney, he and some colleagues were thinking about the future of the Invictus Games: ,,The war in Yugoslavia was behind us and Afghanistan was coming to an end. We thought that a prolonged period of peace would change the nature of the games. Fewer physically injured and more soldiers with psychological problems, because they sometimes only arise ten, fifteen or twenty years after a war.” Now that a new physical war has broken out, physically injured soldiers will also continue to fall.
Soldiers are willing to pay a high price for their country or for peace. In the ultimate case, they pay with their lives. But the impact of a serious injury is also great. After that, a whole new life begins.
It got to the point where soldiers had to shout ‘bang-bang’ during exercises because there was a shortage of ammunition
Edwin de Wolf (52) was 24 when he lost his left leg in 1994 when he stepped on a landmine on a mission in Srebrenica. ,,I had a negative image of myself, I was really in a downward spiral and had to deal with quite a trauma. My body was broken.” By discovering what he could still do and by exercising, De Wolf recovered. He won medals at the Invictus Games. He is now team manager of the Netherlands and guides the 28 Dutch athletes.
Not a cent for defense
The prestige of soldiers in the Netherlands left a lot to be desired. The sector has been maintained for years with too little money. It got to the point where soldiers had to shout ‘bang-bang’ during exercises because there was a shortage of ammunition. That shows little respect for people who are willing to give their lives or limbs for our safety. The war in Ukraine changed that. Parties that for years did not pay a cent for defense are now at the forefront to free up more resources. That’s profit.
But nothing can beat the resilience that the military themselves show at the Invictus Games. That deserves our deep respect and a lot of encouragement next week.
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