With a big smile on his face, World War II veteran Steve Van der Weele, 95, recalls the events of last Veterans Day.

The Calvin professor of English emeritus was invited to participate in an annual wreath-laying ceremony for veterans at the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. 

“I’ve never been photographed so often in my life,” he said.

Van der Weele said the honor was extended to him when his son Philip, who had been asking for years if he could take him to D.C. to visit war memorials and museums, contacted the event organizers and asked about seating accommodations. As it turned out, the organizers emailed him right back and said they would put him in the wreath presentation program alongside Army nurse Regina Benson.

“I reported early that morning,” Van der Weele said. “I said, ‘I’m Steve Van der Weele reporting for duty.’”

Years of service

Van der Weele served in the Army from 1942 to 1945 in places such as the Syracuse Army Air Base in New York, Anrath Prison in Germany near the border with the Netherlands, and in Marburg, Germany. His duties included working as a clerk, working in the Army post office, driving trucks, and working as a translator of Dutch and German.

When he returned home after the war, Van der Weele enrolled in Calvin College in 1946, married his wife, the late Viola Hugen, in 1950, and went on to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, graduating with a PhD in 1955. He was hired to teach English at Calvin by its then-president, Henry Zylstra, in 1950. He retired from teaching in 1986.

Walking tall

Van der Weele expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to be present in the wreath-laying ceremony. 

“We all walked tall that day—metaphorically, that is, because not all of us could walk,” he said with a chuckle.

One of his favorite moments was meeting former Sen. Bob Dole, 92, who also is a World War II veteran.

“I said, ‘You would have made a fine president,’” Van der Weele said. “I also said, ‘I appreciate knowing you’re a good Episcopalian.’ And he said, ‘That’s true; that’s still true.’” 

‘My great honor’

Van der Weele was amazed by how many people in the crowd stopped to thank him.

“There are many more people who deserved this honor, but they’re not here anymore, and so it was my great honor,” he said.