The Hero in You and I

During the bush war that brought the current regime headed by Yoweri K. Museveni to power, an enemy bullet plucked out Gen. Elly Tumwine's eye. It fell into his shirt pocket where comrade Gen. David Sejusa removed it and inserted it back in its socket. This is not fiction reminiscent of that scene in the Terminator where Arnold Schwarzegger removes his damaged eyeball. This was action in its unadulterated reality. Today,  Gen. Tumwine covers his scar with dark glasses that make him resemble an FBI agent on vacation in Kampala.

Proud Ugandans show off their National Flag

What's fascinating is that what happened to him didn't affect his sunny disposition. He is the rare breed of highly decorated soldier you can walk to freely and strike up a light conversation. When you find him at Nommo Gallery in his personally-designed bitenge shirts interacting with his art works, it's hard to believe he is the same gallant officer who lost an eye in the struggle of liberation. 

Gen. Tumwine embodies the real heroes in our beloved country; people that defy ugly  circumstances and rise above their scars. In this category is the single mother who does her best to raise productive children, the boda-boda rider who is at his stage by 6am to earn an honest living or the swimmer who dies while saving another from drowning. 

If you are a sharp observer of society,  you will record everyday heroics from varied people; big and small deeds whose quintessential quality and impact deserve a reward of way greater value than the Nalubale Medal. 

I love the words of the eponymous hero of Charles Dickens novel, David Copperfield: "Whether I  shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." Let the National Heroes Day on Tuesday inspire you and I to bring out the hero in us for the greater good of this world.