POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. β An 82-year-old Powhatan man has found healing through an unexpected connection with a Dutch volunteer who tends to his father's grave thousands of miles away.
James Midkiff never knew his father, Staff Sergeant Frank Midkiff, who was killed during World War II when James was just an infant.
Now, through the Forever Promise Project, he has connected with Marco Bastin, a Dutch firefighter who has been caring for his father's grave at Netherlands American Cemetery in Holland.
"Marco, I cannot say thank you enough," Midkiff said during a Zoom call with Bastin. "The fact that you people carry this through. To take your time it means a lot."
Frank Midkiff joined the 8th Air Force during WWII and spent only three days with his wife Kitty and infant son before being shipped overseas.
In his final letter to his parents, Frank wrote: "Dad things are really bad here. I don't think I'm going to get home. If I don't take care of my little man."
On December 20, 1943, Frank's B-17 was shot down and crashed in Germany during a mission.
Eight crew members were killed, including the 21-year-old staff sergeant.
"He was the love of mother's life," James said. "When she lost him, she never got over it."
Frank is buried at Netherlands American Cemetery, where each of the more than 10,000 graves has been adopted by Dutch citizens as a perpetual thank you for liberating their country from Nazi occupation.
Bastin, 38, lives in Margraten just steps from the cemetery and adopted Frank's grave years ago, following a family tradition started by his grandparents at the end of WWII.
"It is a beautiful spot," Bastin said. "We are proud of it. We hope they are proud of it as our we."
The Forever Promise Project, launched by bestselling author Robert Edsel, connects families of fallen service members with their Dutch adopters.
"No country has demonstrated a fidelity to the United States and gratitude to the United States at the level that the Dutch have," Edsel said.
During their virtual meeting, both men expressed the profound impact of their connection.
"You are like a family. It won't be forgotten," James told Bastin.
Bastin responded: "We do it with a lot of love. Thank you very much."
The Dutch volunteer brings flowers to Frank's grave every Memorial Day and hopes his two daughters will continue the tradition when he no longer can.
"It is a surprise for me now to know that Frank has a son. That is really nice," Bastin said. "I do it with a lot of love and respect for your father."
For James, who keeps artifacts from his father's crashed plane in his sunroom, the connection provides comfort he never expected to find.
"He is not here, but he is here. I look and he is here," James said.
While nothing can bring his father back, connecting with Marco has helped heal a wound that has lasted 83 years.
"He was pretty special," James said. "I can't say enough about him. He gave me a life. I lost a lot, but I have been blessed."
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