I served with the second Australian contingent (ASC2) as part of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda from Feb-Aug 1995. We were there to assist in the re-establishment of Rwandan society after the genocide and civil war that took place from April - July 1994. By the time we arrived there were hundreds of thousands of 'Internally Displaced' civilians in camps all over the country, and many more in neighbouring countries such as Tanzania, Burrundi and what was then Zaire (now the Congo). Tensions were still high between the two major ethnic groups - the Tutsi, who were both the victims of the genocide and victors in the civil war, and the majority Hutu, many of whom were implicated in the killings orchestrated by the Rwandan Interahamwe militia (who were Hutus). Our job was to run the UN Hospital and to provide the security and logistic support to enable it to function. Although our main mission was health support to the large UN force, humanitarian work was performed subject to resource availbaility and constraints. We were in the middle of Africa and a long way from the normal Australian Defence Force supply chain that we were used to. We were accommodated in a former Rwandan military barracks that still showed the signs of fighting with blast damage and bullet pock marks evident everywhere. During the course of our time there a number of incidents loomed large - particularly the Kibeho refugee camp massacre that took place on 21 April 1995. We had a small group of personnel caught right in the middle of it. They acquited themselves with great distinction. The other incident was helping to re-stablish treks into the Virunga National Park to see the gorillas made famous by Dianne Fossey and the film 'Gorillas in the Mist'. That was a small but important part in re-establishing the Rwandan economy. It was a life changing experience for all of us. I was immensley proud to have been part of a group of 300 people that was thrown together in a matter of just a few weeks, bringing a wide range of skills to bear on a challenging job half way across the world. I think we all came home somewhat hardened by our experience with a realisation that little in life is 'black and white' - it's all about dealing with the shades of grey. It also made us very much more of what we have at home - our families and their wellbeing and security. We have a wonderful country that was shaped by those who went before us and to them we need to be eternally grateful and respect what they have given us and we should never take it for granted. There aren't that many countries where Rule of Law applies in the modern world, but Australia is one of them. Freedom is worth protecting and fighting for and we should never forget it.