When you love your country, you are always ready to sacrifice for it and you remain loyal to its leaders in addition to being selfless in your service, said Brig. Gen. Ronald Rwivanga, the Spokesperson of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), during an interview with The New Times ahead of Patriotism Day, observed on October 1. ALSO READ: Three decades later, RDF continues to inspire a nation October 1, 1990, “marked the beginning of the liberation struggle against bad leadership that the country went through for 30 years,” he said on Monday, September 29, while reflecting on the meaning of patriotism through the lens of the RDF, its values, sacrifices, and evolving role, at home and beyond the country’s borders – in countries such as Mozambique and the Central African Republic. VIDEO: Brig Gen Rwivanga: Next generation of Rwandan soldiers won’t be less patriotic Rwivanga said: “RDF defines patriotism as both love and devotion to country. It's the commitment to the ideals of protecting our national interests and defending our territorial integrity and the pursuit of the ideals of unity and development. There are specific core principles that are connected to our values. And, when we talk about patriotism, we are also talking about the principles of commitment to duty, respect for others, personal courage in times of need, in terms of war, discipline and unity. Unity, cohesion. All those come together to form that big statement; patriotism. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s ambitious future depends on value-driven youth “Those are what you could call the core principles that shape patriotism. Basically, patriotism is the first value that RDF has on its list but we also have loyalty, we have selfless service, we have integrity, we have sacrifice. All those values, they are, in one way or another, connected to patriotism because when you love your country, you're ready to sacrifice for it. When you love your country, you'll be loyal to its leaders. When you love your country, you'll have selfless service.” ALSO READ: Fred Gisa Rwigema: The ultimate sacrifice for us to live in peace ‘Our objective is not to die’ Asked how patriotism is measured, or assessed, in RDF service members, Rwivanga explained that there are specific pragmatic actions that a soldier “or even an ordinary civilian” will show in pursuit of the value of patriotism. One, he said, “is serving your country” in different capacities, as serving does not have to be in the military alone. ALSO READ: Viva, our patriots of October 1990, viva! “Secondly, the ability to defend your country, both with your blood and sometimes even with your own actions. And then, lastly, to die for your country. That is the ultimate pragmatic action of showing that you love your country.” But then, using the words of George Smith Patton Jr., a renowned general in the United States army who commanded troops in World War II and especially in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, Rwivanga made it clear that “our objective is not to die.” ALSO READ: How Kagame masterminded RPA’s decisive campaign against Genocide within hours Rwivanga said: “George Patton is a famous general, US general in World War II, who stated that your role is not to die for your country but to ensure that ‘the other poor dumb bastard’ dies for it. So, your role is not to die. You should actually defend your country and defend the citizens of your country. “But if, in that process, you are ready to pay the ultimate price, for instance, there are many acts of heroism that have been demonstrated where you choose, as a leader, to put yourself in harm's way to protect your entire unit. For instance, when there is a grenade strike and you choose that the grenade goes with you instead of the entire section, that is the ultimate sacrifice that one can give.”
