On the 17th anniversary to mark the start of the Rwandan genocide, read the story of Carl Wilkens — the only American to stay in the country — who remained behind to protect Tutsi friends.

Carl was inside his home in Rwanda with his family when Hutu militia arrived on the second day of the genocide, carrying machetes, clubs and rifles. They didn't get past the front gates."

"Mothers and grandmothers from the neighborhood rushed down the dirt road to stand outside the house, refusing to let the killers enter. "They're good people," the women explained, "Their children play with our children. They bring us to the hospital at night when we are sick."

Why did he decide to stay in Rwanda when he knew that things were on the verge of exploding?

Two Tutsis had lived with Carl and his wife for three years and would almost certainly be killed if the Wilkenses left.

(READ the profile at Huffington Post)