telephone line into Kuwait, albeit after hours of trying. Things quickly became worse. The lines were cut altogether, and there was no way of knowing how family and friends fared inside the country, nor when the telephone lines would be restored. For many it was the doubt and the total lack of relevant information, which was the hardest to bear and the majority of people had to resign themselves to months of waiting for news, with no news coming. However, many others were able to pass messages in and out of Kuwait, through one brave man and an impromptu network, encompassing countries as far distant as Pakistan and Guatemala, which grew around his transmission outside Kuwait. is a most reluctant hero, and has received little acclaim for his work from within Kuwait. That doesn't bother him particularly. He feels the most important thing is to know that he did all he could to help as many people as he could from a wide number of different nationalities and backgrounds. That he continually risked his own life in order to do so, seems virtually irrelevant to him. "I don't like to be called a hero," he says, adding that he only did what he felt he had to do.