• El Salvador: the story of a broken people

This story is about the Salvadoran people that had to endure living in a war zone from 1979-1992. This was a war that devastated and claimed the lives of approximately 75,000 salvadorans. The fear of being gunned down or being caught in a cross fire was a reality that so many of my family members had to endure fearing for the life of themselves and their children. This caused many people to try to leave, those that were lucky were able to immigrate to the united states like my family. I rememer hearing stories of my aunts having to run into houses begging for someone to let them in to escape being killed in the streets for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Murder and chaos flooded my beloved country and for many their fates were sealed. Confined in poverty and misery most had no choice and could not leave.Finding santuary in the states was but an unacheivable dream. The truth is if it wasn’t for my grandfather getting his residency in the U.S for inlisting in the Vietnam war we would not have made it out

I want to honor the people that were left behind by higlighting the human injustice, their struggles, and fears. Let their stories never be forgotten even though most would rather never look back the devistation caused by the miltary.

El salvador has always been a country that has had a conflict between the rich and poor. It is a small country that suffers from over population and high poverty rates and poor living conditions. El salvador’s major cash crop was the coffee bean in 1880 that brought in 95% of its income.

The problem was that the wealth only made up 2% of the population which caused conflict with the upper class and lower class. This caused an uprising and the formation of the Central American socialist party in 1932. Led by Augustin Farabundo Marti he rallied up peasants and indegenous people to go against the government. Because of this the government sent death squads to murder any one who who supported the socialist party or those that simply looked indian. La Matanza (the massacre) Happened in 1932 leaving more than 30,000 people dead.

This battle between classes continued through 1970 with guerilla groups and rebel forces causing the government to reinstate death squads. In 1979 the Junta military overthrew the government promising to improve living standards but failed todo so.This caused all the Rebel groups to unite and form Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or the FMLN. Kane, Maureen. Civil War in El Salvador, novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS135/Events/ElSalvador80/Salvador80.html.

In 1980 the civil war ignited after the assasination of Bishop Oscar Romero. For years he had stood against the disappearance and killing of peasants and priests done so by the military. The government targeted anyone they suspected of supporting social and economic reform. The civil war lasted from 1980-1992 killing 80,000 and half a million were missing or displaced. During this time the military abused there power and targeted rural impoverish communities to abduct young boys to recruit for war. They would grab young boys coming out of movie houses or village fiestas. When the Armed forces of El Salvador(FAES) became low on recruitment the would raid orphanages and schools for even younger boys at ages of 12. Children would be ripped away from their families and simply vanish. Young boys afraid for their own lives are given M16s and are brainwashed to follow orders only further reinforce the cruel events to come.

I remember talking to my grandmother who would tell me her stories. The stories about the true love of a mother for her children. She told of her battling hunger and struggling to feed her children. The pain in her eyes when she looked back only left me with a heavy heart. The love of a mother for her children and the hoplessness of not having even a cent to buy a peiece of bread. She would do anything for her kids just like all the mothers in El salvador. They were scared and had real concerns for the well being of their children. Mothers had to worry about their sons being taken or killed. Mothers with daughters worried about kiddnappings, abuse, murder, and rape. The human injustices committed by the military had no limit. corruption and abuse of power ran rampid. The pverty stricken stood had no hope which is why people in el salvador where so divided. The FMLN would fight to right these injustices.

In 1981 when Ronald Reagan took office he bagan to sent more military aid to the Salvadoran forces to Fight the FMLN. In december of that year the E.S military began a campaign to flush out and dismantel the FMLN. On December 10th 1981 soldiers began to March on the village of El Mozote. On this day the soldiers rounded up the whole village in the town square and proceeded to seperated then into houses and churches. Then the soldiers interrogated, tortured and killed the men in the village. They then proceeded to seperate older women from their children murdering them with machine guns after being raped.It is said that the soldiers ended by murdering 146 children averaging at the age of 6. After robbing the village they burned it down. It is these stories that haunt the survivors leaving behind trauma and pain. These injustices can not be forgotten the innocent lives lost due to a disconnect of people.“El Mozote Massacre.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mozote_massacre.

In an interview with a women in El salvador durng the invasion of 1986 Carlota shares her first hand experience in this travesty. She explains that around 5 am show heard planes and helicopers flying over head. worried she woke up everyone in the house to prepare them to evacuate. She was a mother that lived in paralyzing fear of her own neighborhood becoming a live war zone at any moment. She told the woman and two children she lived with to get ready. Carlota herself had three of her own. She says that she grabbed her children seconds later a gernade hit their bed and exploded. She came outside to see tanks and helicopters everywhere.She continues to say that soldiers rallied them all in the churches and began to tell them to pray to God because they were to be massacred. “ Carlota - 2/5 - 1986 Invasion.” YouTube, YouTube, 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyhlh1Q-a5U.

These raids of terror seemed to be the tactics to dismantel the resisitance. unfortunately like most wars the innocent lives are affected. In another Interview Isabel tells his story of how he escaped the mass murdering of his people. He tells a tragic memory of how he heard gunfire getting close to him. In order to escape, he and a group had to cross the Sumpul River in El Salvador. All the people ran for their lives, some were taken by the current some people drowned. He claims that who ever survived made it through many he left behind were to wounded to continue. He went back to try to save his friend and they were surrounded. They escaped a night but ran into the military the next day were they had to run from a riddle of bullets. They were forced to jump into a ravine if they had any chance to survive. An older lady jumped first to escape but when they heard her snoring they decided to jump another way to escape injury. When they found her she was unconscious they had no choice but to leave her to survive. He says that she showed up 15 days later head covered in maggots her head was smashed and dies in the following months. This is a prime example of the reality these people endured running to survive having to make hard decisions that would haunt anyone forever.“Isabel - 2/5 - Guinda De Mayo Testimonio El Salvador.” Isabel - 2/5 - Guinda De Mayo Testimonio El Salvador, 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eUmKJeKeh0.

After a decade of a war that left a country in shambles a peace treaty was signed in 1992 causing a cease fire that started february that year. In a snap of a finger the war was over but there is no doubt in my mind that the families that had to endure these inhumane justices should never be brushed off. Lost and but never forgotten the heros of el Salvador’s history are in fact the survivors and the innocent people that were left to pick up the pieces. This is to honor the broken and to honor and bring to light the ones who are no longer with us. My grandparents were the small percentage of people that were able to escape without having to experience too much trauma. That still does not mean that life was carefree. The reality is that the struggle of poverty still has a hold on the salvadoran people.These people have to fight to eat to find shelter and survive the war only added to their problems. I remember watching an action movie as a child when one of my aunts told me to turn it off. She couldn’t handle it because it brought back so many horrible memories the sounds of machine guns will forever haunt her mind. The bodies in the streets and the destruction stained many that weren’t so lucky to escape the grip of war. I never experienced the struggle but it is because of these stories that I have learned that life in America is a Blessing. I have learned to appreciate the sacrifices of those before me. These stories although tragic make me proud to come from people so humble yet so strong survivors that did what they had to do to make it.

work Cited:

“El Mozote Massacre.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Mozote_massacre.

“El Salvador Launches Commission to Find Those Missing from Civil War.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 28 Sept. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/us-elsalvador-missing/el-salvador-launches-commission-to-find-those-missing-from-civil-war-idUSKCN1C305R.

“Injustice.” Injustice | Unfinished Sentences, unfinishedsentences.org/archive/taxonomy/term/95.

Kane, Maureen. Civil War in El Salvador, novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/HIS135/Events/ElSalvador80/Salvador80.html.

Malkin, Elisabeth. “Survivors of Massacre Ask: 'Why Did They Have to Kill Those Children?'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 May 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/world/americas/el-salvador-el-mazote-massacre.html.

Miller, Samantha. “Child Soldiers in the Salvadoran Civ.” Child Soldiers in the Salvadoran Civil War, 2016, www.exhibit.xavier.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=xjur.

“Procuradora Pide a Fiscal Investigar Masacre De Campesinos De 1,932.” Agencia De Prensa Salvadoreña (APS), 9 Aug. 2017, aps.com.sv/procuradora-pide-a-fiscal-investigar-masacre-de-campesinos-de-1932/.

“Salvadoran Civil War.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadoran_Civil_War.