Marco Kroon
Encyclopedia
Captain Marinus Johannes "Marco" Kroon, RMWO (Den Bosch, 15 July 1970) is a Dutch soldier serving with the Korps Commandotroepen
Korps Commandotroepen
The Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...

. Kroon is a Knight of the Military William Order (MWO) and the first new member of this very exclusive Order in over half a century. The Military William Order is the highest honour in the Netherlands, bestowed for "performing excellent acts of Bravery, Leadership and Loyalty in battle".

Personal life

Kroon was born in Den Bosch and graduated high school there in 1989, at the Sint-Janslyceum. He still lives in Den Bosch with his girlfriend who runs a café. Besides his full-time job in the military, Kroon often helps her with her work.

Kroon also graduated from the Koninklijke Militaire School (Royal Military School, which trains NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

's) in Weert
Weert
Weert is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands. As of 2010, Weert had a population of 48,405. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.- Population centres :* Altweerterheide...

, and from the Koninklijke Militaire Academie
Koninklijke Militaire Academie
The Royal Military Academy is the service academy for the Dutch Army and the Dutch Air Force. Located in Breda, the Netherlands, the KMA has trained future officers since 1828.-Description:...

 (Royal Military Academy, which trains officers) in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...

.

Marines

After graduating from high school in 1989, Kroon started his military career as a marine in the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. In 1991 he was dispatched for Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...

, a humanitarian operation for Kurds in northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

. After this he was transferred for a year to the Marine Barracks Savaneta in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...

. In 1993 he was sent out a second time as assistant section leader in a Marine platoon for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia
The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Cambodia in 1992–93. It was also the first occasion on which the UN had taken over the administration of an independent state, organized and run an election , had its own radio station and jail,...

 (UNTAC) in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

.

Army

After this mission in Cambodia he transferred to the Army where he started training for a position as an NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

 at the Koninklijke Militaire School in Weert
Weert
Weert is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands. As of 2010, Weert had a population of 48,405. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.- Population centres :* Altweerterheide...

. After graduating he became squad leader
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...

 at the 17th Armoured Infantry Battalion in Oirschot
Oirschot
Oirschot is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is situated 12 km from the city of Eindhoven and 20 km from the city of Tilburg in the province Noord-Brabant...

. With this unit he left for a mission in Bosnia for six months leading an infantry group.

In 1998 he transferred to the Korps Commandotroepen
Korps Commandotroepen
The Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...

 (Corps of Commando Troops) in Roosendaal. After successfully earning his Green Beret
Green beret
The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of World War II. It is still worn with pride by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and any member of the British Military who has passed the All Arms Commando Course.There are certain other military...

 he fulfilled a management position in the corps. In 2000 he once again left for Bosnia, this time as a member of the Joint Commissioned Observer mission. After this mission he left again for the Koninklijke Militaire Academie
Koninklijke Militaire Academie
The Royal Military Academy is the service academy for the Dutch Army and the Dutch Air Force. Located in Breda, the Netherlands, the KMA has trained future officers since 1828.-Description:...

 (Royal Military Academy) in Breda, to become an officer. After graduation he returned to his unit, the 17th Armoured Infantry Battalion, and left for Bosnia for the third time, now as platoon commander, in the Stabilization Force (SFOR) mission.

In 2004 he returned to the Special Forces in Roosendaal as platoon commander at the 108th Commando Company. Here he had several management positions and was dispatched once again to Iraq in 2004 for mission Stabilisation Force Iraq
Multinational force in Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq was a military command, led by the United States, which was responsible for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Multi-National Force – Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004, and was later itself reorganized into its successor, United...

 and three times to Afghanistan (2005, 2006 en 2007).

Kroon is currently a staff officer at the intelligence centre of the special forces, training other commandos, testing equipment and tactical procedures.

Military William Order

From March 2006 to August 2006 Kroon, while still a lieutenant, was dispatched to the Afghan province of Uruzgan. His job, as platoon commander of the Dutch special forces
Korps Commandotroepen
The Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...

 unit "Viper", was to perform reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

 and to map out the area so Task Force Uruzgan
Task Force Uruzgan
The Netherlands Army Task Force Uruzgan was part of NATO's Regional Command South, International Security Assistance Force, in Afghanistan. The Dutch lead one of the four Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the southern region of the country...

 could be established. During this period he distinguished himself by performing exceptional deeds during six extremely dangerous actions. These actions were performed during ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...

 patrols of the Dutch Viper-unit and an Australian Special Air Service Regiment
Australian Special Air Service Regiment
The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR but commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army...

 platoon.

One of these actions was Operation Chitag (13–14 July 2006). During the patrol Kroon encountered a group of Taliban soldiers. In the resulting battle, while heavily outnumbered, he was forced to request air support on his own position
Final protective fire
Final protective fire refers to a tactical plan for a military unit, set up by the forward observer in support of the infantry, to protect itself against overwhelming attack...

 by a Lockheed AC-130 gunship aircraft
Lockheed AC-130
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily-armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, while Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support...

; he ordered his men to take cover and with his Forward Air Controller (FAC) guided the American air attack. At such close quarters, however, it was also a harrowing experience for Kroon and his FAC. Later, his platoon was forced to take cover in an Afghan house and swatted a number of attacks during the night on their position. No men fell under Kroon's command; the resulting Taliban losses were severe.
During daylight Kroon and his men emerged to retrieve intelligence from the deceased Taliban soldiers to establish their identity. Kroon straightened his men out after noticing his men's agitation and inclination towards unprofessional behaviour and subsequently ordered the wounded to be treated and the dead to be covered. In an interview, he later said that he understood the behaviour of his men but felt, as a leader, responsible to ensure the platoon acted professionally. His leadership and ability to correct a battle-hardened group of commandos was later commended by his superiors.

These actions and his general behaviour as a leader were the reason both his subordinates and superiors recommended him for the award. After three years of research by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...

, it recommended to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...

 that Kroon be awarded the Military William Order for his bravery shown during commando actions in Uruzgan. Kroon was made a Knight 4th class of the Military William Order on 29 May 2009 by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. It was the first time in 54 years the honour was awarded to an individual.

Criminal investigation and conviction

In January 2010, Kroon and his girlfriend (aged 34) were named in a drugs case in The Netherlands. According to publications he was suspected of possession of drugs and of violating the gun law
Gun law
A gun law is a law that pertains to firearms. Restrictions on gun ownership and use vary greatly both by country and the type of firearm used....

. A police investigation, which was sustained after two interrogations, was said to be focusing on the café named café Vinny's that he was running in the town of Den Bosch. The patrons were suspected of using cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

 in the café. The Koninklijke Marechaussee (Dutch military police) and the Public Prosecutor confirmed the suspicion. The investigations in the case started in October 2009 and in December 2009, four other suspects had been arrested.

Kroon and his lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops denied all accusations and announced their own investigation. According to Kroon, he is the victim of defamation. He points out that he received several anonymous mails with threats, one of them saying: "From hero to zero".

According to two sources, the Dutch Ministry of Defense was aware of the alleged reputation of Kroon's pub before he received his award for bravery in Afghanistan. The source of the accusations was believed to be an unmentioned police informer
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...

.

The publications on the suspicion of Kroon not only led to comments on the legitimacy of his award and speculations as to his professional position, but also to criticism directed at the mentioning of his full name by the press, which is uncommon in The Netherlands in crime reporting as it is considered to be an infringement of a suspect's personal privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...

, related to the presumption of innocence
Presumption of innocence
The presumption of innocence, sometimes referred to by the Latin expression Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat, is the principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty. Application of this principle is a legal right of the accused in a criminal trial, recognised in many...

.

In March 2010, Kroons lawyer told a Dutch television programme that Kroon actually wanted his bar to be drugs-free and that he had thrown customers out who did not respect this policy.

On 20 September 2010, the Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

 officially announced that Kroon would be prosecuted and was suspected of 'possession and provision of some (in the Netherlands illegal) electroshock weapons and possession of small quantities of hard drugs for personal use'.

The trial was held before the military panel of the Arnhem court, which consists of two professional judges of the Arnhem court of which one presides the panel, and one general officer who does not belong to the judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...

. It started on 29 November 2010. Court hearings were held on 4, 5, 11 and 12 April 2011 in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...

. The verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...

 of the military panel of the Arnhem court was on 22 April 2011. Kroon was sentenced
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...

 a EUR 750 fine and a conditional 80 hours of community service for possession and provision of electroshock weapons. Kroon was acquitted on the drugs related charges. Kroon will not be dismissed from the military (this would be the case if he had been convicted for using hard drugs; the Dutch Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...

 has a strict no-drugs policy). Furthermore, Kroon will keep his knighthood; revocation only occurs if sentenced to prison for more than one year. The Dutch Ministry of Defense reported that it perused the verdict and will wait out the period in which the Office of the Attorney General or Kroon can appeal the verdict. Kroon announced that he would voluntarily resign his knighthood if he was convicted
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...

 for drugs related charges by the appellate court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...

. On 2 May 2011 the Office of the Attorney General refrained to seek an appeal. Immediately after the legal procedure ending the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced they will consult Kroon in the near future regarding his career wishes and possibilities. Such consultations and consequent posting changes are normal procedure for all Dutch military personnel. According to his lawyer, Kroon aspires a new military mission, this after his current administrative posting.

Honours and medals

  • Knight of the Military William Order, 4th class (R.M.W.O.)
  • Commemorative Medal UN-Peacekeeping Operations, for participation UNTAC (Cambodia
    Cambodia
    Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

    )
  • Commemorative Medal Multinational Peacekeeping Operations, for participation Operation Provide Comfort
    Operation Provide Comfort
    Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations by the United States and some of its Gulf War allies, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurds fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and deliver humanitarian aid to them.-Operation...

     (Kurdistan)
  • Commemorative Medal Multinational Peacekeeping Operations, with 2 clasps
    Medal bar
    A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...

     for participation SFOR
    SFOR
    The Stabilisation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was tasked with upholding the Dayton Agreement. It replaced the previous force IFOR...

     and Kosovo Force
  • Commemorative Medal Peacekeeping Operations, with 5 clasps
  • NCO Long Service Medal, in bronze (12 years service)
  • Army Foreign Service Medal
  • Four Day Marches Cross
    International Four Days Marches Nijmegen
    The International Four Day Marches Nijmegen is the largest marching event in the world. It is organised every year in Nijmegen in mid-July as a means of promoting sport and exercise. Participants walk 30, 40 or 50 kilometers daily, and, on completion, receive a royally approved medal...

    , 2nd participation
  • Proficiency Medal of the Netherlands Olympic Committee, 2nd participation
  • United Nations Medal
    United Nations Medal
    The term United Nations Medal refers to one of several international decorations which are issued by the United Nations to the various militaries of the world for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, and disaster relief...

     for participation UNTAC (Cambodia
    Cambodia
    Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

    )
  • NATO Medal
    NATO Medal
    The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It is manufactured by Eekelers - Centini, International, of Hemiksem, Belgium...

    , with clasp for Former Yugoslavia
    Former Yugoslavia
    The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....

     service, granted twice
  • NATO Medal, with clasp for Kosovo
    Kosovo
    Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

     service
  • NATO Medal, with clasp for ISAF
    International Security Assistance Force
    The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...

     service, granted twice

External links

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