cover story
SIERRA LEONE , AFRICA
COVER STORY
Henry
Tucker
by Lisa Maguire
War is an ugly thing , and it can do terrible things to the people who live through it . Most Americans are far removed from the conditions of war in comparison to other countries . It is not typically at the forefront of our minds , unless there is a loved one in harm ’ s way , and American children aren ’ t at risk of being exposed to its brutality in the same way that are children of other countries . Like many wars before , the Civil War in Sierra Leone wrought havoc on those in its path . In 1991 , the war began because of the abundance of alluvial diamonds and the quest for rebel forces to gain control of their mining and production .
In a small Sierra Leone village that year , a young boy and his family were awoken by gunfire . His parents frantically grabbed him and his sister and what little they ’ d be able to carry and they fled . The boy ’ s three-year-old feet were bare and achy , and his three-year-old legs exhausted . His terrified mother carried his little sister in one arm , and with her other , held a grip of enhance magazine | MARCH 2017 31