Guest Speaker WWII veteran Simon Gurdal will tell his story on June 20 at Etowah Library
Simon Gurdal — WWII Belgian Brigade Piron
WWII veteran Simon Gurdal shared his story: 鈥淥ne time, I found myself in a foxhole with two Americans, a Canadian and a Polish soldier. I was wounded but went back into the fight.鈥
The war began for Gurdal鈥檚 family when he was 14 years old. He tells his story:
鈥淭he Germans came in 1940 and occupied Belgium. All we could do was hide ourselves. One day our bell rang. It was two ladies with a six-year-old Jewish girl, Annie. One lady said, 鈥楽he鈥檚 for you.鈥 Annie had a piece of paper in her coat pocket which read: I am a Jewish girl. Please take me in and hide me. For four years during the occupation, we hid her in a little room in the basement. She couldn鈥檛 go outside. Poor little girl, four years in the basement.
Pictured: Simon (far right) and his Boy Scout friends in Verviers, Belgium.
Let’s Join the Army
鈥淚n 1944, I was 17. One of the Boy Scouts in my troop said, 鈥楲et’s join the army.鈥 I said, 鈥楲et’s go!鈥 Seven of us went to St. Nicolas-Waes and soon…we were in the Army!
After the war
鈥淎fter the war, I worked in Africa as a fabric designer for a French textile company. Then I emigrated to Canada, got married, and moved to New York. There I owned a design business. I have been an American citizen since 1965. I鈥檓 proud to wear the badge of Belgian Brigade Piron. What I tell you comes from my memory, but most of all, from my heart.鈥
The new book From Boy Scout to Soldier: Simon Gurdal, WWII Belgian Brigade Piron will be available for purchase and signing by Gurdal. Proceeds from the book (on sale for $20) will support the museum鈥檚 educational programs. Please call 828-884-2141 or visit the for more information.
From Boy Scout to Soldier, by Janis Allen, will be available for purchase and signing by Simon Gurdal on April 11 at VHMC.
Top Photo: Left, 17-year old Simon Gurdal, Belgian Brigade Piron, 1944
Right, Simon Gurdal with his book, FROM BOY SCOUT TO SOLDIER, 2026
The story of hiding Annie in the basement for four years really puts the human cost of occupation into perspective鈥攕uch quiet, sustained bravery from a teenage boy. It鈥檚 a reminder that heroism isn鈥檛 always on the battlefield, but sometimes in the simple act of opening your door.
The detail about Annie鈥檚 note in her coat pocket鈥斺淚 am a Jewish girl. Please take me in and hide me鈥濃攊s haunting. It鈥檚 a reminder that those quiet acts of courage often started with a simple, desperate plea that changed everything for everyone involved. Hearing how Simon鈥檚 Boy Scout troop turned into a military unit really puts the transition from youth to soldier into sharp focus.