Pure Massacre: Soldiers Reflect on the Rwandan Genocide

In 1994 an orgy of violence swept across the tiny land- locked nation of Rwanda, the intensity of which had not been seen the horrors of WWII. Around one million people were mercilessly shot, hacked to death or burnt alive. A group of Australian UN peacekeepers made up of soldiers and army medical personnel was sent to Rwanda under a United Nations mandate to attempt to restore order and offer assistance. They would be exposed to a tragedy they were not prepared for and found hard to fathom. On 22nd April 1995 the horror they had witnessed escalated beyond anything they had previously seen. At a displaced persons' camp in Kibeho, in full view of the Australian soldiers, over 4,000 unarmed people died at the hands of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. Constrained by the UN peacekeeping Rules of Engagement, these Australians could only watch helplessly and try to assist the wounded. Pure Massacre is a record of what happened during this peacekeeping mission. Kevin "Irish" O'Halloran, a Platoon Sergeant at the time, stresses the weaknesses of the UN charter and what happens when "good men do nothing". He pulls together the perspectives of those Australian soldiers who served in Rwanda at this time. It takes a special type of bravery, discipline and compassion to do what these soldiers did. Little did they know when the second tour of Rwanda was over that they would be the highest decorated UN peacekeeping contingent since the Korean War. For many their service in Rwanda would come with a personal toll. No Australians died during and immediately after the massacre at Kibeho, but as Pure Massacre testifies, the suffering and tragedy is embedded in their memories.

Author: Kevin O'Halloran
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Published: 09/19/2015
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780980325188

About the Author
Warrant Officer Class One Kevin 'Irish' O'Halloran was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1961 and migrated to Australia with his parents, elder brother and two sisters in 1970.He enlisted in the Australian Regular Army (ARA) in 1981. Spending his formative years in 1RAR, he saw non-warlike operational service with C Coy as a Bren Gunner and Group Commander in Malaysia in 1983. He was selected to form part of the Australian Bicentennial Royal Guard. The guard mounted ceremonial duties in England, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Bicentennial celebration in April 1988. He again saw non-warlike operational service with A Coy as a Section Commander in Malaysia in 1989. He saw warlike operational service with B Coy 2RAR, as a Pl Sgt in Rwanda from 19th February - 24th August 1995. He saw warlike operational service as the Company Sergeant Major of C Coy 2RAR in East Timor, between October 2001 and May 2002. In June 2005 he served as the acting ARA Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the 16th Battalion Royal Western Australia Regiment until the end of that year. In January 2006 he was internally posted as the SSM of Soldier Promotion Section (SPS) Land Warfare Centre Western Australia (LWC-WA). He was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One on in 2006 and took his position as RSM of 16RWAR. Kevin is married to Michelle and we have 2 children, Sean 7 and Siobhan 5 yrs. In an ongoing military career that has reached 26 years of dedicated service Kevin O'halloran has been awarded the following: Infantry Combat Badge (ICB); Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) Rwanda and East Timor Clasps; Australian Service Medal (ASM) South East Asia Clasp; Defence Force Service Medal (DFSM) with 1st & 2nd Clasps; Australian Defence Medal (ADM); United Nations Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) Medal; United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor (UNTAET) Medal; and Return from Active Service Badge.

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