Paul Goffin, Overseas Social Security’s oldest pensioner, turns 100

First experience: the war

1944 was a year of great upheaval, influencing the lives and destinies of a great many Europeans. In June, the Allied forces landed in Normandy and in September, almost all of Belgium was liberated. But the war was not yet over and the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 serves as a reminder of that. Schools and universities remained closed and the government called upon young people to sign up as war volunteers. Paul, who had just finished high school, was one of the 45,000 to 50,000 Belgians aged between 19 and 25 who enlisted. After 6 weeks of rudimentary training, his unit, the 21st Rifle Battalion, was first attached to a British unit, then to an American one in the Rhineland. His mission was to ensure security in the Belgian border region by patrolling certain areas, some of which were heavily mined. Twelve soldiers from his unit lost their lives. After combat ceased in May 1945, in addition to its security mission, his unit took part in the repatriation of foreign workers who had been drafted into forced labour in Germany.

I spent over 50 years travelling all over the world. Which is why I firmly believe that Belgium has plenty to offer in terms of quality of life.

Long-term expatriate

After completing his studies in Louvain, Paul Goffin spent a year in the United States studying agricultural economics. On his return, he joined Ghent Agricultural College as an assistant. It was also in Ghent that he met the woman who would go on to share his life. But another destination soon beckoned: the Congo, where he spent 7 years, right up until the country's independence.

It was also at this time in 1953, that he first came under the social security system for employees of the Belgian Congo, the precursor of the overseas social security system. His employer, the Belgian State, at the time stated on his enrolment declaration: ‘Employer - Belgian Colony of the Congo/Position: Agricultural economist/Residence of employee: Leopoldville’. Other times, other customs.

On his return from the Congo, he joined an Antwerp-based oil company.

Permanent settlement in the United States

However, his previous contacts in the Congo with World Bank representatives were to resurface and have a lasting influence on his career. Attractive offers were made to him, prompting him to set his sights on the United States.

He settled in Washington with his wife and three daughters, where he spent the rest of his working life.

Washington, the world's ‘melting pot’

Washington was home to many different nationalities, including large numbers of Asians, South Americans and Africans. The English language was the glue that bound this vast international community together.

‘At the end of the day, you realise that all human beings, wherever they come from, are essentially the same. The few differences quickly become blurred when we strive for the same ‘universal’ aspirations: well-being and family values. The ultimate aim is to ensure that universal human rights are respected.’

Paul Goffin would happily socialise with the four to five hundred compatriots who made up the Belgian community in Washington. The annual reception organised by the Belgian Embassy to mark Belgian National Day was one such occasion. The local consulate was also at hand to make dealings with the Belgian institutions as smooth as possible.

What about Belgium?

With family scattered across the provinces of East Flanders, Brabant, Limbourg and Liège, the Belgian ties were strong. Paul Goffin and his wife were always keen to get back to their roots. Every two or three years, the couple would return to Belgium for a month to recharge their batteries. Paul’s retirement in 1990, and the purchase of a flat on the Belgian coast, meant that they returned to Belgium more often and for longer periods of time. For three to four months each year, they would come to breathe the invigorating sea air and spend even more quality time with their friends and family. Alas, with the frailty of age, Atlantic crossings are no longer advisable.

Although their lives are now deeply rooted in the United States, their three daughters also regularly go on the same ‘homecoming’ pilgrimage. As do their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

This incessant coming and going also extends to Belgian cousins who have made a life for themselves in the USA.

For Paul Goffin, Belgium has a lot to be proud of when viewed from abroad. ‘I spent over 50 years travelling all over the world. Which is why I firmly believe that Belgium has plenty to offer in terms of quality of life.’ Belgian delicacies are appreciated as far afield as the United States. ‘The stores stock lots of Belgian products: chocolates, biscuits, beers (the Americans love them) and even Liège syrup’.

A thought for expats

When quizzed for advice for anyone thinking of moving abroad, Paul Goffin does not claim to know what they should or shouldn’t do. ‘It all depends on individual tastes and aspirations. You have to be on the right path and seize opportunities, but the best education you can hope for is an open mind’. His only word of advice relates to Overseas Social Security, which he congratulates in passing on the efficiency of its services over so many years and on the quality of the contacts nurtured with its agents. ‘Before saying a few words of encouragement to other travellers wishing to discover the United States in 2026: our very own Red Devils! I'll be cheering them on at the next World Cup’.