The girl screams, startling the officer about to arrest her brother because he had worn a Belgian flag on his jacket.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This illegal act warranted a visit from the officers now in charge of her country. Seeing the girl, the officer changes his mind about arresting the girl\u2019s brother, for some unknown reason. A boy, barely 18 years old, leaves his quiet country life as he is drafted into the army. One day he is a young country boy; the next, a tank driver in the war.<\/p>\n
Years later, these two people become my grandparents. The events of the 1940’s are not so distant. Today the coals of authoritarianism are being fanned into flame once again.<\/p>\n
Notice the motto on the Belgian flag, which is “Eendracht Maakt Macht” in Dutch, “L’Union Fait La Force” in French, and “Einigkeit Macht Stark” in German. The motto translates to “Unity Makes Strength”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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