Lebanon’s disabled war veterans spread Christmas cheer
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BEIT SHABAB — Bechara was only 19 when, fighting for one of Lebanon’s many militias during the 1975-1990 civil war, he was wounded in battle as a bullet lodged itself in his spine.
Thirty-four years later, from his wheelchair, he is crafting Christmas gifts for children across his native Lebanon, a still-divided country that risks sliding back into chaos at any moment.
“My biggest hope is that Lebanon will no longer know war,” said the 53-year-old from his work station at the Lebanese Institute for the Disabled, where he paints mistletoes and pictures of Saint Nicholas onto tablecloths.
The institute, located in the charming mountain village of Beit Shabab some 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of Beirut, has given Bechara and dozens others the chance to rebuild their lives after the bloody 15-year civil war, which left more than 150,000 dead and thousands missing and maimed.
The war, which initially pitted leftist and Palestinian factions against rightwing Christians, quickly escalated into a free-for-all sectarian bloodbath..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101224com5.html
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