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SHAPE, BELGIUM SOUVENIR PATCH |
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Send $3.00per patch to: |
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SHAPE Neighborhood Girl Scouts |
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Patch Program Coordinator |
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Unit 21420 |
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APO AE 09705 |
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The SHAPE Souvenir Patch may be purchased by anyone. There are no requirements. We offer this patch because it is rich in symbolism. The yellow stitching below BELGIUM represents the overlapping letters SHAPE The green fronds represent the peaceful woods and fields of Europe. The flags formally represent the countries in the Alliance. SHAPE is the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, a part of the military structure of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization.) Originally located in Paris, France from 1951-1967, SHAPE is now located in Casteau, Belgium. |
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Formal representation of the Alliance is demonstrated by 15 countries' flags. In clockwise order from left to right they are: |
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1.Belgium |
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2.Germany |
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3.Canada |
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4.Denmark |
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5.Spain |
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6.USA |
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7.Greece |
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8.Iceland |
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9.Italy |
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10.Luxembourg |
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11.Norway |
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12.Netherlands |
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13.Portugal |
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14.UK |
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15.Turkey |
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The 16th country, France is represented by a French Military Mission and therefore their flag is not represented. |
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IMPORTANT NOTE: |
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Since its foundation in 1949, the (NATO) Alliance has remained open to new member countries able to meet the obligations and responsibilities of membership. At the Madrid Summit Meeting in July 1997, the NATO Allies decided to invite three prospective new member countries to begin negotiations on accession to the Treaty, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. The three countries formally became members of the Alliance in March 1999. |
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The decision to enlarge NATO was not taken in isolation but was part of a wider process leading to greater European integration. The door to membership of NATO remains open to other countries wishing to join in the future. At the NATO Summit Meeting in Washington in April 1999, the Alliance launched a Membership Action Plan to assist aspiring countries in preparing for membership. |
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from the NATO website ( www.nato.int ) |
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The SHAPE Souvenir Patch does not reflect the three newest countries in NATO. Since having all 19 flags on the patch is not possible due to size limitations, any future SHAPE patch will probably not be based on the flags at all, and we encourage you to get one of the current patches while supplies. |
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For more information on SHAPE and NATO, try one of these links: |
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SHAPE website: www.shape.nato.int NATO website:www.nato.int |
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