I am currently reading L.Gen. Romeo Dallaire's account of the genocide in Rawanda. I had read a book earlier this year which was a personal account of the genocide. I of course was moved by the story and became interested in learning more about what could have caused and allowed such a massacre to occur.
Dallaire's account is lengthy. There are times that I skim pages as he details all the politics and work that went into even getting a small force of Peacekeepers into Rawanda. I have to admit I love a story, so when the book become more detailed history I getting a little bored. The endless names and ranks are confusing. Not to say that this is unneeded. I'm sure there are lots of people who understand and I feel as though this book is Dallaire's account to the nation and the world for his actions and the events that unfolded.
Having a family member in the Armed Forces, I am very interested in the way his mind works as a soldier, the affects his work had on his family, his honesty about his failings to the job and his family, and the affects the genocide had on his mental health. He is very candied about his pride and ignorance going into the mission. It was his first mission overseas and he was still quite young.
In the introduction he describes a scene in which he and his patrol meet a lone boy standing in the road. The stop the truck look for his parents in the forest surrounding them and can not locate anyone who is caring for this child. (This is well into the genocide.) The boy runs into a house near by and they follow him. Inside the boy sits down beside his dead mother. The rest of his family is lies dead there too. Dallaire takes the child out of the house and he clings to him. I quote, " I made up my mind: this boy would be the fourth child in the Dallaire family. I couldn't save Rwanda, but I could save this child." I think this situation is a good example of his compassion and utter need to do something about all the destruction and death he sees around him. Who would not want to take this child to safety and give them a home? His humanity compels him to save this child. O fcourse the story ends with the child running off into the forest never to be seen again.
I"m not quite done the book yet. I'm sure once I'm into the account of the genocide I'll have more to write about.
blessings
No comments:
Post a Comment