Attendees listen to remarks during the ceremony at the Aaron Julian Cook Building in Nijmegen, Netherlands, Sept. 20, 2026. The ceremony honored the legacy of Maj. Julian Aaron Cook and the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division who crossed the Waal River under heavy enemy fire 82 years ago during Operation Market Garden. Cook, commander of 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, led the assault across the river that helped Allied forces seize Nijmegen’s critical bridges. As the United States marks 250 years of independence, Operation Market Garden commemorations offer a living example of the long relationship between Americans and the Dutch. From Dutch trade and support during the American Revolution, symbolized by the First Salute at St. Eustatius in 1776, to American and Allied forces fighting together in the Netherlands in 1944, that history continues today through communities that preserve the memory of those who served and through an enduring U.S.-Dutch partnership. (U.S. Army photos by Spc. Kadence Connors)
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2026 10:53 |
| Photo ID: | 9952321 |
| VIRIN: | 260920-A-IR446-2127 |
| Resolution: | 4988x3325 |
| Size: | 4.16 MB |
| Location: | NIJMEGEN, NL |
| Web Views: | 4 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Attendees at the Operation Market Garden Aaron Julian Cook Building Ceremony 2026 [Image 26 of 26], by SPC Kadence Connors, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.