Interview Checkpoint 6 – 2022

Schalkhaar, 18-09-2022

Jeannet Kleine Schaars (55) is married to Bert (61). He is a Lebanon veteran.

Together they organize return trips and support the country with the Veterans for Lebanon Foundation after the big explosion in 2020.Jeannet works as a dementia consultant / advising district nurse.
They have two studying sons: Sem (22) and Mats (20).

#holy
Older and wiser
'I met Bert about seven years after his broadcast. That period was not a topic of discussion at the time. I knew he had been in Lebanon, because there were some signs on the wall that were sacred. I really had no idea how important that time was for Bert. I didn't ask about it either. I would do that now, older and wiser.'

#malieveld
Shaped
'The fact that Bert is a veteran was never a thing. Until 2014. We were in the weekend of veterans day near The Hague for a wedding. At the last moment Bert indicated that he would like to take a look at the Malieveld, I took some pictures of him at a white Unifil guard, a white YP and a Nekaf. He shared these photos on Facebook and that's how he came  into contact with his buddies at the time. During a barbecue here at home, they told about what they had experienced and the stories were sloppy on each other. Bert decided to write down the complete story. Supplemented with the diaries and original radio logs, this was successful. It wasn't until I read the whole story that I got the insight into how that time shaped him.'

#euphoric
Hospitable
'His book piqued my interest and I went to Lebanon with Bert and a number of his veteran friends and partners. At first I thought it was exciting, but once that was all over. We were received so hospitably everywhere and even came to people's homes. People expressed their appreciation for that time. That created a warm and euphoric feeling within the group.'

#fundraiser
Shared love
'I have also really come to love the country and now we have a common love: the organization of the trips and the charities. After the explosion, we said to each other: we have wanted to do something for Lebanon for so long, now we can no longer postpone it. We helped a school to build a Wi-Fi network. Now we are working on a fundraiser for a physiotherapy practice. We also send containers with relief goods in that direction. We have now shipped 35. I think it's fantastic that we can do this together. We complement each other and it strengthens our bond.'

Tekst Eline Lubberts Fotografie Niels Blekemolen