Name: George Dirnu
Born: 195x
Birth Place: Romania
Overcome story: After being demoted on flimsy pretexts he had enough. George swam the Danube river to make it to freedom in America. His confidence is not in a country or a Government but in God.
Interview: Sept. 2024
Breathing Free under the “Stars and Sky”
George felt trapped – like a hermit in a cage. He dreamed of freedom under open skies, beneath stars unshrouded by the false promises of the communist flag — red, yellow, and blue.
One night, he waded into the cold waters of the Danube and made his bid for freedom. Afraid? Yes. Undaunted? Absolutely!
Like many, the Communist Party “offered” for him to join and abandon the church. George refused. From that moment, the authorities marked him. When his mother died of an infection, and nothing tied him to home, he chose to leave.
Coded messages from friends guided his way. Four days through the mountains, nearly starving, George and three companions pushed forward until they reached sight of the Danube. They timed their move between border patrols, slipped to the water’s edge, and inflated air mattresses and tubes. Clinging to them, they floated across to Yugoslavia.
On the way, he passed a cemetery filled with nameless border crossers — silent reminders of other possible outcomes. Some shot, some drowned. No names, just crosses in the dirt.
But freedom was not immediate. A farmer fed them and betrayed them to the police. He never knew if he would be sent back or onward to freedom. Six long weeks in prison must have felt like an eternity. Ultimately the authorities were convinced they were not criminals and took them to Padinska Skela, the refugee camp near Belgrade.
His feeling about this escape is summarized by a poem he wrote during the adventure:
America source of freedom,
you raised your torch monumentally,
more and more people want you in Romania,
from the illustrious to the broken-hearted.
What did you prepare for everyone,
how you attract them America?
land with open gates
Has mercy endeared them to you
those whom the truth abandoned
those locked in the hermit’s cages
they are covered by sky and the stars
and not the Red-yellow-and-blue
where truth is a game of stars,
where lies are sisters to pride,
and flattery is the feather of a poet, ah
Ah, I pity you from the bottom of my heart Romania,
you birth your children, to kill them slowly
In America, he built his family and recently retired a happy man. There was a huge difference between Romania and the USA. Coming to America was a shock to be sure; it was not easy. He thanks God that he is here with his brother.
Quotes:
“My son prayed. God thank you I was not born in Romania.”
“We all want to have a comfortable life, but Jesus suffered a lot, and you are called to this as well. Persecution will start here as well, but our anchor is in Christ.”
Reflection Questions:
- What drives a man to go to near starvation for nearly a week before crossing a heavily armed border?
- Why is his Christianity so important to someone like George? Why not just go along to get along?