Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them-Shakespeare.
The curriculum vitae of Rtd. Captain Strasser reveals that at some point in his life he achieved greatness but that it slipped out of his grasp unwittingly. Whether it was due to his fault or the machinations of others cannot be easily fathomed. What is known is that destiny is ruthless. How are the mighty fallen!
Young as he was he was selected to lead a band of desperate soldiers to overthrow a standing army. He must have had leadership qualities for such a dangerous mission. With its success he became one of the youngest Heads of State in the world for a couple of years. The rest is much trodden history.
The hopes of fans and admirers of Rtd. Captain Strasser were raised when he was plucked out of retirement as it were and was about to be prepared for rehabilitation and recognition but these were short-lived. Under the aegis of the incumbent government he was airlifted to Ghana and hospitalized. Report from a source in Ghana, unverified, states that he was receiving US$300 every month for his sustenance, which was cut down to US$100 and now, according to the unbelievable report, he is receiving nothing. “Pitiful, sorrowful” the source in Ghana moaned, describing Strasser’s present condition, stressing that “He has no means of helping himself.”
It is like dumping. Some have reasoned that the humanitarian thing to do was at least to have returned him to his home after sawing him from gangrene that would have been fatal. The move to fly the retired Captain out on humanitarian grounds must have been well-intentioned because it was not statutory anyway.
Somewhere along the road, however, friends seem to have fallen apart. There are certain aspects of human endeavor that had better be left for the public to draw their own conclusions. We have not heard from the government the reasons why they have left the crestfallen soldier in the lurch.
It may not be unreasonable to conclude that the retired Captain may not have been demonstrating gratitude to his benefactors who were bending over backwards to wrest him from obscurity.
He may not have in the best of mental states having lost the leadership of the country. He may be living in a dream world. Pity him and bring him back to die in his homeland.