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GRITROCK-2015-015-004

GRITROCK-2015-015-004

Credit to read: Corporal Paul Shaw ABIPP (Army)
Consent given

Kemoh stands with his family at Pipe Line off Wilkinson Road, Freetown as his auntie waves and leaves for work. This is the first time he has see his family in over two years.

During the week that Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola free, a British Army soldier reflects on the emotional journey back to his home country at the height of the epidemic, where he went to assist with Operation Gritrock, the British GovernmentÕs operation in tackling the outbreak in West Africa.

Private Augustine Kemoh, a Rifleman with 3rd Battalion The Rifles, was born in Freetown and joined the British Army in 2010. The 28-year-old, who studied business management administration and financial accounting at school, followed in the footsteps of a friend who was already serving as a rifleman.

It was an emotional return for Augustine, who knew people who had succumbed to the disease. ÒThe mother of a friend died and it had a big impact on the community,Ó says Augustine, who did a tough tour of duty in Afghanistan.

ÒI was very happy when I saw my mum and other family members. It was quite a long time that I didnÕt see them before that day and I was so happy that none of them were affected with the Ebola virus,Ó he said. His mum hasnÕt worked since the countryÕs bitter civil war (1991Ð2002). She used to work as a receptionist at the local hospital but it was burnt down.

Augustine saw first-hand the profound effects the epidemic has had on his own community in and around Wilkinson Road, Freetown. Parents stopped their children from seeing each other because they feared their children would catch the disease.

Ebola has affected education in much the same way that the civil war did. ÒI wasnÕt happy to see classes were not functioning,Ó said Augustine. ÒIt brings back memories of the war when the rebels took over the city from the ruling government. Schools were closed for a year.Ó

However, he was pleased to return and see his old school friends and teachers again, although he said he found it hard. His favourite memories of school are seeing his friends and joking around. They tell him his uniform suits him now that they have seen him wearing it.

Augustine left school, Government Secondary Technical School, where he studied business management administration and financial accounting at age 15. His friends: Tamba Abu Komba (aka Mr Muscle) is still at university, Julian Streser King is working as a Journalist, Francis Sam (aka Flavour) is a hairdresser and Amus Bangura (aka Nelly) is currently out of work.

Sierra Leone has changed. The atmospherics of the country have changed and a lot of positive stories are coming out now. Hygiene has improved, which in turn has brought awareness for healthy living. The opportunity now exists to improve basics such as healthcare and education. ÒPeople didnÕt always trust each other,Ó says Augustine. ÒEbola is going to bring unity.Ó

The British Army is well respected in Sierra Leone. They helped a lot with the co-ordination of support and treatment of Ebola and put the measures in place to improve the survival rate to what is now - ÔzeroÕ infections for more than 42 days. AugustineÕs role in the campaign was as part of force protection, providing security to UK and other western personnel who were helping in the fight against the epidemic.

Augustine, who is married to a Sierra Leonean, is proud of being a soldier in the British Army and proud as a Sierra Leonean that he could return home and play an important role in helping his country get back on its feet.

ÒI was very happy that I had the opportunity to go and help my country in that difficult period when men, women and children were dying from such a terrible epidemic that brought the entire country to a standstill for more than a year,Ó he said.

ÒGoing to Sierra Leone as a British soldier was very special to me, because I remember during the war, I was a kid when the British Army were patrolling the streets of Freetown. My dream was to one day serve in the British Army and for me to have an opportunity to go and help in that period was a dream come true; that I went and helped my country of birth in such a difficult period in my own capacity.Ó