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Excerpt: 

One of the officers, a man in his late twenties, called us all together one morning.

“We are going to separate into two groups,” he told us. “The older boys form one line. Right here.” He stepped forward and drew a line in the dirt with his boot. “Now,” he said, “and I mean right now.”

From the sound of it so far, this was going to be bad, I thought. The officer showed no humanity, no emotion, except a sort of anger. Quickly, the older boys, including my cousin David, hurried to line up.
“Much too sloppy,” the officer said. “Make this a straight line. The SPLA doesn’t tolerate less than perfection.” He waited till the boys had formed a near-perfect row.

“All right,” he continued. Now you younger boys. Behind the older ones. And I want a line just as straight as theirs.” He waited till we tried to make a perfect row.

“Good,” he said. “Now those probably are going to be the only words of praise you’ll hear from me. We’re not here to please one another. We’re here to be soldiers. Nothing more. Nothing less. Understand?”

“Yes,” we answered.
“You will address me as Captain Alou.”
“Yes, Captain Alou,” we answered. “Now, before we start, are there any questions?”
“Captain Alou,” a boy down the line from me asked.
“What is it?”
“When we joined the SPLA, they said we’d be able to go to school. Will we?”

“Most certainly.”




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