 As a young man, during World War I, he joined the Belgian Army, only to be apprehended in 1918 while attempting to join the fighting near Ypres and imprisoned by the German Army at Hasselt Prison until the Armistice.He was awarded the "Croix civique de 1ère classe avec liséré d'or" for his service.During World War II, he served in the Belgian Resistance as a leader with the Comet line, which was organized to help Allied soldiers and airmen escape German-occupied Europe and return to Great Britain.