Patrick Merts, born and raised in Soesterberg, shares Smit’s opinion. He still remembers how his village used to be bustling with military life. “Open days at the American base, eating hamburgers and spareribs on Queen’s Day. We’ve experienced it before. There was always something going on in Soesterberg. American F15s, Starfighters, that was a daily occurrence here. And when you see those helicopters flying over with a water bag or a jeep underneath, or those guys coming out on a rope, that’s the best thing there is, isn’t it? Okay, you get the noise with it. But it also creates a stir.”
Soesterberg sees opportunities: ‘We prefer Defense over wind turbines’
