I enjoyed this show so much. I have been praying about the soldiers and families affected by war. These stories are encouraging (and hard to hear in some cases). I was most intrigued by the "Combat Paper Project" story. It's a path to healing. Thank you so much for the stories.

Many years ago while on holiday in France with my family we visited a WWII cemetery near St. James. Never having seen anything like this I was overcome with emotion and wept. I wanted to thank them but didn’t know how, I just said a player. When I heard Nicole’s story I realised that here was someone who had discovered how to thank them. It is uplifting to know that there are people like Nicole who are prepared to be so selfless. Thank you Nicole, you’re story is inspirational.

Brotock, the fallacy of your argument is that a soldier/sailor is not simply a worker. You don’t tell a worker to be prepared to lay down their life. Sure, we all tend to get flag crazy and tend to glorify the military. Americans like me are no strangers to this and I can understand how our some times obnoxious patriotism can turn a person off to the idea of showing due respect for fallen soldiers. I worked in construction for 10 years and have had some injuries. That said, it was nothing compared to what is asked of a soldier, especially in that most bloody and awful of wars, WWII. A worker would not expect to be shot at, bombed, shelled, forced to kill, etc. A worker can go home at the end of the day. A soldier may have to sleep in a hole in the mud. This young man whose grave Mrs. Sproncken takes care of came from across the ocean and died fighting to liberate Europe from the Nazis. He may not have been a noble super hero but he would have experienced horror, brutality and misery that a construction worker would not experience in a life time. A worker’s primary motivation is to make a living. A soldier’s primary motivation is for him and his comrades to survive and beyond that to help his or her country. In fact the wages of a soldier are the biggest indicator that they are not simply workers. If they were paid according to the risks involved than it would be one of the more high paying jobs out there. And while you say that most soldiers in WWII were drafted one must remember that 1/3rd of them were volunteers, which considering the population of the US is a lot of people. And 70% of those who died in the war were volunteers. I still don’t think that being drafted some how means that the sacrifice was less worthy of our respect.

As an American I just wanted to say that I was very touched to hear this story. I would like to thank all the good people like Mrs. Sproncken who show such care and humanity to fallen veterans from my country. Thank you so much.

I totally agree with Brotock.

I was born in Ravenna, Ohio (very close to Newton Falls). I spent a year in Nederlands (Valentina Hulsmann is a friend in Amsterdam) Utrecht was my home. My father was a war vetern and I was a Viet Nam draft dodger. I went to Kanada in 1972. In 2006 I went to Bielefeld, Deutschland and joined the Chit Chat Company (A Jazz Chor). I continue to be a musician/playwright/lumberjack/tree planter/masseur/green haus renovier etc. Your story touched me. I continue to deal with the problem of war & what we do for a beleif. I am open to any discussion of this topic. Thank you/Dankewell (!)

Why do we as a society glorify all soldiers? Weren't most WWII soldiers drafted? They were employees of the state with life long benefits. I don't look down upon soldiers but I don't find their work more honorable than the work done by, say, construction workers.

By the way, I agree with the critic who said that Ms Sproncken is a "media whore" and, I'd add, quite crazy.

Het verhaal van Nicole en Josie was very touching. Jonathan, you always do an excellent job with your stories, no matter what they are about. Ik luister vaak naar de radio in de auto and really enjoy your program. After hearing the stories about Nicole and Josie Both yesterday and today on my way to work via ABC Australia, I just wanted to say their stories touched my heart, each in a different way. Keep up the excellent work Jonathan!

This was a fantastic story. My Dutch cousin and his family live in Margraten. Last year, he arranged for my father, brother and I to attend the Memorial Day ceremony at the American Cemetary. He adopted a grave years ago and considers it a privilege to honor our soldiers this way. He also told me that there is a waiting list for adoption. I appreciate Nicole Spronkin's dedication and thank her for her service and for honoring S/Sgt. Ticknor. And I thank you fro producing and airing this story.