Where is birdie africa now

Instead, they lived in fear of everything: police, the neighborhood, MOVE founder John Africa, and anything else that came their way.

See, I got out. Ward's views on the MOVE disaster were little changed. After the disaster, Mr. Ward was reunited with his father, and the long process of bringing him back to health began.

In the end, he came a long way, especially considering that it took years of rehabilitation to patch up the second- and third-degree burns that covered 20 percent of his body. And, considering that while he was 13 when he emerged from the burning rowhouse, he carried less than pounds on his 4-feetinch frame. And, considering that under the direction of John Africa, Birdie and the other children never went to school, were usually naked - even in winter - until they were about 6 or so, and spurned many of the conventions of modern living - things such as toothbrushes, toys, cooked foods.

Even the group's name was part of their rebellion. MOVE is not an acronym; it stands for nothing. Ward lived with his father in Lansdale from to He played fullback and cornerback for the North Penn High School football team. In , Mr. Ward and his father reached a settlement with the administration of Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr. Even so, it took him years to reintegrate into normal society.

Ward had never spent a day in school and had never played with children from outside the compound. He went from a nearly stone-age existence to living with his father, his father's new wife, Amal, and two stepsisters, Sophia and Tatiana, in Montgomery County.

He was initially enrolled in special-education classes and it was a long climb before graduation from North Penn. Ward served in the Army from to He was stationed in Florida, North Carolina, and Germany, earning the rank of sergeant. He served as an Army cameraman and videographer, making military training videos.

The resulting explosion ignited a fire that spread to 61 adjacent homes. Then years-old and injured with severe burns, Ward was pulled from the home by two Philadelphia Police officers. He was living in the compound along with his mother. An adult, Ramona Africa, was also able to escape. In all, 11 people, including five children, were killed and residents were displaced from their homes.

Ward changed his name in and while in the care of his father, Andino Ward. He eventually enlisted in the United States Army. MOVE people don't take cruises because that's not our belief. On the final leg of the trip, as the ship cut a course to its berth in Port Canaveral, Ward and his wife decided to turn in for a nap. But Michael decided to stay up, sipping drinks in the ship's casino and lounging in an outdoor hot tub, Ward said.

Receipts from Michael's bar tab show that he bought 12 drinks between 4 and p. It is not known how many of the other drinks he consumed. He then asked his sister's boyfriend to light a Romeo y Juliet cigar for him, and retreated back to the hot tub. That was about 7 p. It was the last time anyone saw Michael alive. Now, nearly a year after Michael was laid to rest at Northwood Cemetery in West Oak Lane -- alongside his mother, Rhonda Africa , who died in the bombing -- Ward says he's finally coming to terms with the tragedy.

He said that he initially had considered bringing a lawsuit against Carnival, but that, out of greater concern for the other side of Michael's family, he abandoned the idea.

He can't help but smile while spinning tales about the ways Michael overcame the indoctrination of MOVE, a group that only fed him raw food and often forced him to walk around naked. Remember Me. Vinny Vella, Philadelphia Daily News. Become an INNsider.