There are stories that pop up every so often of Americans jumping into the thick of things overseas right when they're in the news. They're usually alone. And without an organization supporting their efforts. Remember that guy who wanted to personally kill Osama bin Laden, so he flew over into the mountains of Afghanistan? Like that.
I remember my father being that guy once (he didn't make international news, although I was still riveted). My parents had tickets to visit Argentina early 2001. Just before their trip, the currency broke. Argentina was sliding into full unrest as the nearly developed Latin American country's economy slid ferociously backward over the course of a few weeks. There was a lot of rioting. My father decided this was in fact the best time to visit Buenas Aires, and considered the timing of their trip a great opportunity to witness live action history. What fortune! (My mother stayed home figuring history would be made just as well without her getting tear gassed.)
So another one of these adventurers just popped up. This time it's a UCLA undergrad, just looking to lend a hand to Libyan rebels. Click on the image to read the story in the National:
P.S. The author did a great job of selecting this quote to be the last line of the article: "'Whatever you do, don’t tell my parents,' he pleaded. 'They don’t know I’m here.'"
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