Everything Under The Sun: A "Lost Boy" Comes Home

Sunday, February 8, 2015

A "Lost Boy" Comes Home

Sgt Peter Kuch in full dress uniform.

Back in 1987 the Sudan was engaged in a prolonged and bloody civil war. Young boys became separated from their families and walked across the desert, seeking refuge. They had seen things that no child should ever have to witness. They were the LOST BOYS OF SUDAN and they had no idea what had become of their families.

Peter Kuch was one of these boys, only eight years old back then. He was actually one of the lucky ones. After living in a refugee camp for about ten years, he was evacuated to the US and became a citizen, got an education. But he always believed that he owed this country, which had adopted him, much more. So, he joined the army.

Currently, Sgt. Peter Kuch is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, a member of the 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION. He is known for how hard he works, his commitment to serving this country he loves. Says Sgt. Kuch, "I will do my job to the best of my ability until the last day I leave the Army. I will always remember this is the country I am serving."

However, he had still wondered about the family he left behind in the Sudan, whether they were even alive. Back in 2003, he found out that his parents were still alive; he has regular phone contact with them.

But it had been some 27 years since he had seen his parents, so when the Army gave him leave recently, he made the trek back to the Sudan to see them. It was the first time in years that he had touched his mother, had hugged her. Sgt. Kuch reported, "As soon as she saw me and we hugged each other she just collapsed on my hand. After like a good three minutes then she came back up and she put her hand on my head and she started praying before she even said anything and she said, 'I knew all this time that God would bring you back to me.'"

So, now that he has visited his former home country, does he want to go back there? Sgt. Kuch responded, No, "America will always be my home regardless. This is my home." The country that helped Peter Kuch, the teenager, has a devotee for life. And, oh, Sgt. Kuch now has a family here in this country, complete with a four-year-old son, who has a very different life from the one his dad led as a young boy.