During the height of Operation Octopus, five American Catholic nuns — Sisters Mary Joel Kolmer, Kathleen McGuire, Agnes Mueller, Shirley Kolmer, and Barbara Ann Muttra — were murdered by armed fighters in Gardnersville, a suburb of Monrovia.

They had refused to abandon their mission of caring for local residents and children amid chaos and gunfire. Their deaths sparked international outrage and calls for accountability, yet justice has never been served.

For Liberians, the tragedy symbolized the loss of innocence and compassion amid war — and for the global community, it became a haunting reminder of the human cost of silence in the face of violence.