Roméo Dallaire
A soldier haunted by the world's failure in Rwanda, he transformed his trauma into a relentless global crusade against genocide.
Born 1946 (age 80)·Canadian military officer and politician·Birthday: June 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Roméo Dallaire's life split irrevocably in two during 100 days in 1994. As the Canadian force commander of a desperately under-resourced UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, he was forced to bear witness to a genocide he was ordered not to stop. The experience shattered him, leading to a profound public struggle with PTSD, but also forged an unshakeable purpose. Upon returning to Canada, he refused silence. Dallaire became a raw, compelling witness, detailing the international community's catastrophic failure in his book 'Shake Hands with the Devil.' He turned his anguish into action, using a subsequent appointment to the Canadian Senate to advocate for the 'Responsibility to Protect' doctrine and to campaign against the use of child soldiers. More than a general or a senator, Dallaire remade himself into a conscience for the world, a living reminder of the human cost of indifference.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Roméo was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Roméo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Roméo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, during the 1994 genocide.
- Authored the bestselling memoir 'Shake Hands with the Devil,' which won the Governor General's Literary Award.
- Served as a Canadian Senator from 2005 to 2014, advocating for human security and the prevention of mass atrocities.
- Founded the Child Soldiers Initiative, an organization dedicated to ending the use of children in armed conflict.
Did You Know?
He is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor.
Dallaire's memoir was adapted into an Emmy-winning documentary and a feature film.
He has been openly candid about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Before Rwanda, he commanded the Canadian Army's 5e Groupe-brigade mécanisé du Canada.
“I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil.”
