Broadcasting the Civil War in El Salvador: A Memoir of Guerrilla Radio

Contents

introduction ix contents Map 1 viii Map 2 xii Preface xiii List of Acronyms xv Introduction by Erik Ching xvii Photo section follows Introduction. 1980 Tearing Your Heart Out 2 Off to War with a Priest 5 On the Way to El Escondido 8 Rafael: Morazán, a Strategic Project 9 1981 January 1 18 January 2 18 Licho 18 The Sky Is Taken by Assault 21 The Resurrection of Altagracia 25 The Pain of Calixtro 27 The Massacre at Junquillo 30 Damn! La Guacamaya Never Gives Up! 32 Monsignor Romero in La Guacamaya 33 Jonás 34 Calle Negra, Almost Certain Death 36 Villa del Rosario 41 El Zapotal 45 A North American in the War 46 Juan Ramón, from Bus to History 47 Eighty Devils Set Loose 49 x broadcasting the civil war in el salvador The Torogoces Are Born 51 Benito 53 Alejandro Peluna’s Flying Mule 54 Chiyo and Pajarillo 56 Loving Marcela in the Midst of War Is Another War 58 Tancho 60 Perquín, Road of Embers 63 The Fifth Front 66 Victorino, the Light Within 67 Operation Hammer and Anvil 70 Toni, Montalbo, and Javier 71 Monterrosa Captures Radio Venceremos 74 Radio Venceremos Goes to the Sea 76 Return to Morazán 79 The El Mozote Massacre 81 1982 The Cave of Passions 90 The Fortress of Happiness 93 Hell in Poza Honda 96 The Battle of El Moscarrón 100 The Incredible Return of Colonel Castillo 107 Ana Guadalupe 109 Manlio, Your Guitar’s Beating 111 The First Prisoner Exchange 112 Freedom for Perquín 113 Lesbia and the Idols of Pensacola 115 Every Last One of Us Danced, Colonel 117 Rogelio’s Sense of Humor 119 1983 Shutting Down Transportation 122 Oswaldo Escobar Velado 124 El Quinto Piso de la Alegría 128 Paty’s Memories 132 The Swearing In of the BRAZ 134 The Defeat of the Belloso Battalion 136 The Amatillo Bridge 138 La Antena Is Taken 140 Monterrosa and His War Trophies 142 introduction xi Atilio and the Smell of Ink 143 Diana the Huntress, an Assassin Sent by the CIA 147 The Bells Toll for Carlos 148 Attack on the Third Brigade 149 El Pedrero 152 We Capture the Butcher 154 El Cheje, the Godfather 156 The Military School in San Fernando 157 General Command in Morazán 161 Sesori 162 Morazán Has a Name: Commander Quincho 165 1984 The Legend of El Chongue 170 The Colonels’ Logic 173 The Exchange of Colonel Castillo 176 The Trickster Is Tricked 177 Nolbo versus the Gringos 180 A Piece of Deerskin, and El Calihuate Is Reborn 181 A Stradivarius Violin 183 It Wasn’t the Siguanaba 185 Lety 186 Ana Lidia 187 The Carpenter Who Destroyed an Empire 189 A Meeting in La Palma 192 Operation Torola IV 194 To Die Like a Dog 196 The Gringos’ Man 197 The Trojan Horse 199 The Sword of Mars or the Mirror of Venus? 204 The Tenacity of the Izote 211 Epilogue, 1992 217 Epilogue, 2003 223 Epilogue, 2009 225 index 227 contents xi ...