"It's really a label of love for the Americans." Couple dedicates life honoring Ameri

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"It's really a label of love for the Americans." Couple dedicates life honoring American TroopsAuthor: Brandon Merano - Published: Updated: 12:11 PM CDT May 14, 2018
RE: https://www.ksdk.com/article/life/he...s/63-551900274

ST. LOUIS -- All this week on Today in St. Louis we are saluting the men and women who serve to keep our country safe.To tell these stories, we've enlisted 5 On Your Side's Brandon Merano who is currently a member of the Illinois Air National Guard.On his most recent deployment to Germany, Brandon met Marcel and Matild Schmitz, the curators of the Remember Museum located at their home in Clermont, Netherlands.

ST. LOUIS -- All this week on Today in St. Louis we are saluting the men and women who serve to keep our country safe.

To tell these stories, we've enlisted 5 On Your Side's Brandon Merano who is currently a member of the Illinois Air National Guard.

On his most recent deployment to Germany, Brandon met Marcel and Matild Schmitz, the curators of the Remember Museum located at their home in Clermont, Netherlands.

Marcel is 85 years old and was just 10 when the allies liberated his town from the Germans in WWII.

Since then he's dedicated his life to collecting items left behind during the war, building some of his own replicas and sharing that passion with his wife.

Marcel was never married before me, he always said no wife, no kids, no trouble that's what he said.">

That was until he met Mathilde who moved in with Marcel after a car accident.

"I got all the family at the same time, 3 kids. Yes 3 kids at the same time that's true," explained Marcel.

But Marcel and Mathilde Schmetz also known as the M&M's, share more than just their love for each other.

"I'm much younger than him so I didn't know anything about WWII but then he began telling me the stories about the civilians and the Germans and the Americans and the airplanes," added Mathilde.

Marcel's other love is American service members, especially WWII veterans who liberated his town from the Germans when he was 10 years old.

"The soldiers did their duty so our duty is at least to remember," added Mathilde.

So Marcel and Mathilde started the Remember Museum, featuring thousands of original WWII items Marcel found as a child and thousands more donated from veterans he and Mathilde have met along the way.

"It's really a label of love for the Americans," explained Mathilde.

Thanks to Marcel's personal collection and donations from all over the world the M&M's now have one of the largest private collections of WWII items in the world.

"It's so easy to forget but I don't think we have the right to forget, it's not about uniforms or guns or even units it's about human beings," added Mathilde.

Mathilde and Marcel have even hosted veterans from St. Louis.

"Americans don't understand how much we love the Americans you know, that love is still there," said Mathilde.

Love for a country thousands of miles away, thanks to a marriage that was anything but expected.

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In behalf of all US Military serving and Veterans we thank you very much and appreciate your American Spirit & remembrance of American values.

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