Visit by Gary Hegenes to the Keuze Vrijheid outdoor exhibitions

We received a message from Gert van Schaik about the visit of Gary Hegenes, the son of an American war veteran, and his wife to the Keuze Vrijheid outdoor exhibition in Ommeren. This outdoor exhibition tells the story of his father.

Gert van Schaik writes:
“In the month of December, people often look back on special moments from the past year. I would therefore like to share with you the report of the visit by Gary Hegenes and his wife to the Keuze Vrijheid outdoor exhibition in Ommeren on 8 September 2025. One of the panels features the wartime story ‘A hidden story of humanity’, which recounts the help given by my family in Ommeren to his father, Donald Hegenes, who was captured in October 1944.”

An article about the visit can be read in het Kontakt.

In the column ‘Betuwse praetjes’ in the Tielse Courant of 4 December 1993, an article by Hannes den Hatert was published about Gary Hegenes’s first visit to Ommeren (PDF).

Gert van Schaik has included some photographs and newspaper articles. We are pleased to share these here.

Group photograph at the Keuze Vrijheid memorial near the Baron van Brakell regional museum in Ommeren

Below is Gary Hegenes’s response to his visit to Ommeren, as published on his Facebook page.