At 20:00, a deep silence settled over the gathering. LtCol Laine Den Hollander, the Defence Attaché of the Netherlands, asked those present to observe two minutes of silence to honor the fallen. “Two minutes of silence say often more than the words that follow,” Ambassador Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford shared. “The silence provides space in our minds to properly reflect on the true meaning of freedom, security, and what defending freedom really means.”

The Ninth Fort carries the weight of a dark past, where thousands of Jews and resistance fighters were executed. “All the serenity of today can’t hide the dark past,” the Ambassador reflected, his words carrying the heaviness of history. But within the shadows of its walls, there are also stories of courage, of defiance against all odds. In 1943, on a cold Christmas night, prisoners seized a fleeting chance to escape—some to join the resistance, others to search for loved ones in the Kaunas ghetto.

The Ambassador also shared the story of Jan Zwartendijk, the Dutch Honorary Consul in Kaunas, whose quiet bravery saved thousands. “He did what was right, not because it was popular,” the Ambassador noted, emphasizing that Zwartendijk’s heroism came not from personal gain, but from a deep moral conviction.

Defence Attaché LtCol Laine Den Hollander and Ambassador Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford laid a wreath on behalf of the Netherlands, paying tribute to those who sacrificed everything for the defense of freedom.

We must remember: freedom is not a given. It is a gift, one we must cherish, protect, and never take for granted.