[The Reaper]

Dub:

Do you know how many Guatemalans flee Guatemala every year for the US?

I add this only to point out that it is hard for me to accept that if the average Guatemalan actually believed that the US had destroyed his country by training the Army to oppress the population, that they would come here to the source of all evil as they perceive it.

The point your friend raised about the lack of motivation among the indig is valid and frequently observed. I have often wondered why we were there as visitors repairing schools, building clinics, etc. At one such event, I asked my host nation military counterpart why we didn't just provide the paint and brushes and let the parents who were watching us paint their childrens' school do it themselves, he explained that they would just sell the paint and gear in the local marketplace for whatever it would bring. Curious.

Since 1985, I have been to every country in Latin America except for one. Over my career, I have lived in Latin America for more than seven years. I have an undergrad degree in Political Science and a Masters in Military Arts and Sciences with a concentration in History. I have a pretty good background in National Defense as well, from Unconventional Warfare to Foreign Internal Defense. My Spanish is rated at a 3/3 level, the highest a non-native speaker can attain. During my time there, I have walked the streets alone in some poor neighborhoods, interacted with Latin American Presidents and worked directly for US Ambassadors, as well as the most junior soldados in their militaries. I have been responsible for the execution of US military strategy in those countries. I tell you this not to toot my horn, but to establish a basis of credibility against being labeled as "tainted", and to say that I think I know a little bit more about the region than your basic tourist.

The US is not responsible for the strife in that country or that region. The internal policies and problems of those countries are. The training the US provided to the Latin American nations is normally basic FM 7-8 and & 7-10 type operations, includes large blocks of instruction on Human Rights, and none that I am aware of on how to oppress your countrymen. They probably learned that from the Cubans, or some other Marxist, Leninist, or Maoist group.

The worst I have heard said about the US in Guatemala is that some personnel were taught interrogation techniques by US Military Intelligence personnel. I can assure you that anyone captured in the region would MUCH rather be interrogated for months by US personnel than being questioned for a day by the local descendants of the Aztecs or Mayans. I am sure that US "torture" techniques like sleep deprivation or loud music would be very familiiar to most college students.

There is an group of semi-educated people in most foreign countries that exists by blaming the US for all evils there, even if they have been the recipients of large amounts of US foreign aid. They have counterparts in the US (mostly in academia) who make a living by doing the same. A short overseas tour in the service of one's country to see the world from a different perspective is usually enough to correct the blind acceptance of that view.

Best of luck.

TR