Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 83 Since his time in Rwanda, Sampson has struggled with PTSD from the horrors he witnessed there. As the years went by, memories of Rwanda continued to haunt him and he feared that the orphanage’s children hadn’t survived. But in 2018, he found the young orphaned boy with whom he had bonded with many years earlier, on Facebook. Now a grown man, he reached out to Sammy Tuyishime and with the support of friends, flew him and a friend to Ottawa. “I spent years suppressing my emotions and memories, but finding Sammy was part of that [healing] process, he was part of the guilt hanging over my head. You have to reframe your negative experiences so you can try to have a normal life.” Having retired from the military, Sampson is currently the vice-president of the Rwanda Veterans Association of Canada, working to bring Veterans together for wellness, commemoration and camaraderie. “We want to provide better outcomes for a special group of Veterans,” Sampson says, and to give help to those who need it. As we recognize the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, we remember the service of Canadians there. With courage, integrity and loyalty, Sammy Sampson has left his mark. He is one of our Canadian Veterans. Warrant Officer (Ret’d) Kevin ‘Sammy’ Sampson continued ... Sammy Tuyishime and Sammy Sampson reunited in Ottawa in 2018.
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