We are involved in the formation
of a new Rotary Club in Ciudad Sandino to help address problems in our
area. We meet at 7 PM on Tuesday
evenings. Last night as we started the
meeting our moderator called for a moment of silence to remember the tragedy of 9/11 in the U.S. 11
years ago and the tragedy of 9/11 in Chile 39 years ago.
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| Political prisoners held at a sports stadium in Chile |
I suspect all of you
reading this know about the 9/11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and remember
them, but do you know about what
happened in Chile on 9/11 in 1973?
The U.S. military under
Pres. Nixon staged a coup with the Chilean military to overthrow the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende,
who was working for change for all…including the poor…in Chile. He had been in office three years; his first
enactment was to guarantee that all school children receive milk…he was a
medical doctor. The day after his death, thousands were rounded up and held in the
Chilean stadium where they were questioned, tortured, and many murdered. A father of one of our sons’ friends was in
that stadium and was tortured himself.
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| Chilean protest singer Victor Jara |
One musician who was known
for his protest music, Victor Jara,
was reported to have had his hands and fingers broken along with beatings that
resulted in his ribs being broken. The
soldiers mocked him and told him to play his guitar. He defiantly
sang Venceremos (We Will Win). His body was found 4 days later with 44
bullets in it. The reign of the dictator
Pinochet lasted for 17 years and was horrific.
Over 10,000 Chileans were
murdered, disappeared, tortured, and imprisoned.
Hundreds of thousands left
the country.
It
touched my heart to stand in Nicaragua and remember the victims of two
tragedies that have had an impact on people for years to come. I
also noted that I do not believe that ever in my life in the U.S. did a club,
church, or school ever have us stand to remember tragedies of the past that
happened to others in other
countries. Nicaragua remembers. Nicaraguans remember. – Kathleen
