Harry, well Harry turned out to be quite an amazing human - not knowing his exact age, Harry was definitively over 60 and was quite experienced in the world - having traveled and worked in places such as Russian, Tokyo, other parts of Africa, and Europe. Harry currently has four young adult children in various stages of four different universities in the USA. But as a Liberian, the more questions I asked the more I came to learn there was more to Harry than he lets on...in fact Harry has been/ and is quite involved with the politics of Liberia - as I asked Jerry to stop the truck so we could look and reflect on some bombed out ruins of the war - a quick conversation turned into a very enlightening revelation. Harry mentioned that an interim President (if you don't know the history an interim President, Amos Sawyer (they actually wanted Ellen Johnson Sirleaf) was installed by ECOWAS when there was a standoff between then President Samuel Doe and the rebel attack of Charles Taylor. This was agreed on in public by all parties and yet Samuel Doe went to undermine the support of Amos Sawyer.
Harry goes on to explain that Doe's henchman came for him and burned down his house because Sawyer was a known friend of his, and seen visiting his house. Harry recounted how he "ran from his house into the bush, not even taking the time to turn around and see the destruction unfolding - he just needed to run , to save his life." You can imagine how small I felt at that moment, complaining about the bumpy ride, the heat, etc.. There was a respectful silence in the truck, though surely this was not the first time everyone else has heard this story, and surely Jerry and Simon have stories of their own. So the truck started and I said unassumingly, ahh so Doe thought you were an ally of Sawyer and may have been trying to undermine his administration. Harry quietly responded, "and they would have been correct." To say that everything I knew about the history of the war, and the fight for Liberia's liberty from oppression came rushing over me as I sat in a car with a man who surely had a story to tell would be an understatement. Harry has a quiet yet assured demeanor that I now understand and respect. Surely I look forward to learning more about and from Harry.
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