After the Second World War, Pierre and his family spent several years in Düngenheim, Germany. It seems that his grand-father’s and his uncle’s pro German stance had rendered their departure from Luxembourg inevitable. Despite living abroad, Pierre remained a Luxembourgish citizen and he had to perform his compulsory military service in the Luxembourg Army. Thus, he returned to Wasserbillig, to be conscripted from November 1949 to May 1950. On 30 September 1950, he reenlisted and joined the first contingent. Serving as Soldat de 2e Classe, he fought alongside the UN forces in Korea until he got sick in late March/early April 1951. When his health conditions deteriorated and prevented him from fighting, he was sent home on sick leave. He spent the rest of his military service in treatment in Luxembourg.

After he was officially discharged in September 1951, he returned to his hometown Wasserbillig, where he worked for the local tile manufacturer Cerabati. Here, he met his future wife, Claire Ries, whom he married on 31 May 1952. Like most war veterans, “Korea Pir” preferred not to talk much about his personal Korea experiences.