My Childhood Had Gone By Without My

In Early 1993, When I Was 12, I Was Separated From My Family As The Sierra Leone Civil War, Which Began Two Years Earlier, Came Into My Life.

My Squad Is My Family, My Gun Is My Provider, And Protector, And My Rule Is To Kill Or Be Killed.

When I Was Young, My Father Used To Say, ‘if You Are Alive, There Is Hope For A Better Day And Something Good To Happen. If There Is Nothing Good Left In The Destiny Of A Person, He Or She Will Die.’ I Thought About These Words During My Journey, And They Kept Me Moving Even When I Didn’t Know Where I Was Going. Those Words Became The Vehicle That Drove My Spirit Forward And Made It Stay Alive.

My Teeth Became Sour As I Listened To His Story. It Was Then That I Understood Why He Was Quiet All The Time.

I Joined The Army To Avenge The Deaths Of My Family And To Survive, But I've Come To Learn That If I Am Going To Take Revenge, In That Process I Will Kill Another Person Whose Family Will Want Revenge; Then Revenge And Revenge And Revenge Will Never Come To An End.