THERE IS A VERY UGLY REALITY THAT SOME LATIN AMERICAN MILITARY OFFICERS WHO WERE ONCE TRAINED BY THE US ARMY LATER WENT ON TO BECOME DICTATORS IN THEIR COUNTRIES. THERE IS AN ENTIRE DATABASE OF IT.
THE ORGANIZATION SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH CREATED IN 1990 HAS BEEN EXPOSING MILITARY RECORDS FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS OF THIS. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS EVEN IS.
THE US ARMY’S SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WAS FOUNDED IN 1946. IN 2001 IT WAS RENAMED THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY COOPERATION. ITS PURPOSE HAS BEEN TRAINING MILITARY OFFICERS FROM LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES. SOME OF THE LESSONS HAVE INCLUDED ENGINEERING, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE, COMBAT, INTERROGATING, AND EVEN TORTURE. THE US ARMY HAD THE FACILITY LOCATED IN PANAMA FROM 1946 UNTIL 1984.
THE ABANDONED BUILDING OF THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS IN PANAMA.
SINCE 1984 IT WAS RELOCATED TO THE UNITED STATES. AT FORT BENNING IN GEORGIA
THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY CONTROVERSIES WITH THIS US ARMY PROGRAM INCLUDING SOME OF THEIR MANUALS THAT HAVE BECOME REVEALED FROM THE 1970S THAT INSTRUCTED MILITARY OFFICERS TO TORTURE ANYONE SUSPECTED OF BEING A COMMUNIST OR SOCIALIST. MANY GRADUATES WENT ON TO COMMIT WAR CRIMES IN THEIR NATIVE COUNTRIES.
8 MILITARY OFFICERS WENT ON TO LATER TAKE OVER THEIR COUNTRIES BY MILITARY FORCE. IN SOME CASES THE US GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED THEIR DICTATORSHIPS. I WILL GIVE THE LIST.
1. OMAR TORRIJOS OF PANAMA
OMAR TORRIJOS WAS THE 1ST SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS GRADUATE TO COME TO POWER AS A DICTATOR. BORN 1929 AND DIED IN A PLANE CRASH IN 1981. HE ATTENDED THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS IN HIS NATIVE PANAMA AND GRADUATED IN 1965. IN 1968 THE NATIONAL GUARD OF PANAMA OVERTHREW THE ELECTED PRESIDENT ARNULFO ARIAS AND PANAMA BECAME A MILITARY DICTATORSHIP FOR THE NEXT 21 YEARS UNTIL 1989. TORRIJOS RULED AS THE MAIN LEADER OF THE MILITARY JUNTA FROM 1968 UNTIL HIS ACCIDENTAL DEATH IN 1981.
TORRIJOS WAS ALSO A FRIEND AND MENTOR TO MANUEL NORIEGA IN THE 1950S, 1960S, AND 1970S. NORIEGA WILL BE DISCUSSED LATER.
2. HUGO BANZER OF BOLIVIA
GENERAL HUGO BANZER OF BOLIVIA. BORN 1926 AND DIED 2002.
HUGO BANZER ATTENDED THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS IN 1956 AND WAS TRAINED BY THE US ARMY. IN 1971 BANZER SEIZED POWER IN BOLIVIA BY OVERTHROWING ANOTHER GENERAL NAMED JUAN JOSE TORRES. BANZER RULED BOLIVIA AS A DICTATOR FROM 1971 TO 1978. THE US GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED HIS DICTATORSHIP. HE WAS OVERTHROWN HIMSELF IN 1978 BY OVER GENERALS.
3. GUILLERMO RODRIGUEZ LARA OF ECUADOR
RODRIGUEZ WAS BORN IN 1923 AND HAS BECOME 100 YEARS OLD AS OF 2023.
RODRIGUEZ WAS A 3 TIME GRADUATE OF THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS AND TRAINED AT THE SCHOOL IN PANAMA. HE GRADUATED IN 1961, 1966, AND 1967. HE TOOK IRREGULAR WARFARE COURSES.
IN 1972 HE TOOK POWER IN ECUADOR THROUGH A COUP AND RULED UNTIL 1976 BEING OVERTHROWN BY OTHERS IN THE ECUADOR MILITARY. HAS SURPRISINGLY LIVED A VERY LONG LIFE!
THE EX DICTATOR AS AN OLD MAN
4. POLICARPO PAZ GARCIA OF HONDURAS
GENERAL POLICARPO PAZ GARCIA. BORN 1932 DIED 2000.
GENERAL GARCIA WAS A 2 TIME GRADUATE OF THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS. TOOK A COMMUNICATIONS COURSE IN 1956 AND A GENERAL OFFICERS COURSE IN 1959. IN 1978 GENERAL GARCIA OVERTHREW MILITARY DICTATOR GENERAL JUAN MELGAR CASTRO. THE COUP WAS CALLED A COCAINE COUP BECAUSE IT WAS FINANCED BY A POWERFUL COCAINE SMUGGLER IN HONDURAS. GENERAL GARCIA RECEIVED LOTS OF DRUG MONEY TO CARRY OUT THE COUP AND RULED HONDURAS FROM 1978 TO 1982. TOOK DRUG MONEY PROFITS WHILE IN POWER AND GAVE PROTECTION TO DRUG SMUGGLERS IN HONDURAS IN EXCHANGE.
5. LEOPOLDO GALTIERI OF ARGENTINA
GENERAL LEOPOLDO GALTIERI. BORN 1926 AND DIED 2003.
TOOK AN ARMY ENGINEERING COURSE WITH SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS IN PANAMA AND GRADUATED IN 1949. IN DECEMBER 1981 HE OVERTHREW DICTATOR GENERAL ROBERTO VIOLA. THE US GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED HIS DICTATORSHIP THROUGH 1982 UNTIL HE DECIDED TO INVADE THE FALKLANDS ISLAND. THIS PROMPTED A WAR WITH BRITIAN WHICH ARGENTINA LOST. THE DEFEAT COST ARGENTINA BADLY AND FORCED OTHER ARGENTINE GENERALS TO OVERTHROW GALTIERI FROM POWER FOR HIS FAILURE.
6. EFRAIN RIOS MONTT OF GUATEMALA
EFRAIN RIOS MONTT BORN 1926 AND DIED 2018. ONE OF MANY GUATEMALAN MILITARY DICTATORS DURING THE GAUTEMALAN CIVIL WAR WHICH LASTED FROM 1960-1996.
MONTT ATTENDED THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS IN 1950. IN 1982 HE OVERTHREW DICTATOR FERNANDO ROMERO LUCAS GARCIA. HE RULED FROM 1982 TO 1983. THE RONALD REAGAN ADMINISTRATION IN THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTED HIM BRIEFLY UNTIL MONTT WAS OVERTHROWN BY HIS OWN DEFENSE MINISTER IN 1983.
7. MANUEL ANTONIO NORIEGA OF PANAMA
MANUEL ANTONIO NORIEGA. BORN 1934 DIED 2017.
PANAMA HAD 2 DICTATORS WHO GRADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS. THE VERY COUNTRY THAT HOSTED THE SCHOOL FOR 38 YEARS.
NORIEGA WHILE IN THE PANAMA NATIONAL GAURD TOOK 5 COURSES IN THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS FROM 1965 TO 1967. TAKING COURSES IN JUNGLE COMBAT AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. PRIOR TO BECOMING ACCEPTED BY THE US ARMY PROGRAM NORIEGA WAS KNOWN TO BE AN UNRULY SOLDIER GETTING DRUNK AND STARTING FIGHTS AND WAS ACCUSED OF RAPING A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL.
George H.W Bush (As leader of CIA) and Manuel Noriega meeting together in 1976
WAS ON THE CIA PAYROLL AND WORKED CLOSELY WITH CIA FROM 1971 UNTIL ROUGHLY 1987. RULED AS DICTATOR OF PANAMA FROM 1983 UNTIL 1989 WHEN THE USA INVADED PANAMA TO OVERTHROW HIM. WAS LATER FLOWN TO THE USA AND PUT ON TRIAL IN FLORIDA FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING CRIMES AND SPENT 20 YEARS IN US PRISON FROM 1990-2010. DIED IN PANAMA PRISON IN 2017 SERVING FOR CRIMES IN PANAMA.
8. RAOUL CEDRAS OF HAITI
LT GENERAL CEDRAS. BORN 1949.
CEDRAS WAS TRAINED BY THE US ARMY IN THE 1970S. HE ALSO HAD CONNECTIONS TO THE AMERICAN CIA. IN 1991 CEDRAS AND 2 OTHER US ARMY TRAINED HAITIAN MILITARY OFFICERS VIOLENTLY OVERTHREW HAITI’S 1ST FREELY ELECTED PRESIDENT JEAN BERTRAND ARISTIDE AND EXILED HIM FROM HAITI. CEDRAS THEN RULED HAITI WITH A VIOLENT MILITARY JUNA FROM 1991 TO 1994. HIS BRUTAL REPRESSION CAUSED A MIGRANT CRISIS OF HAITIANS FLEEING THE COUNTRY.
IN 1994 THE UNITED STATES INVADED HAITI AND FORCED CEDRAS AND HIS MILITARY JUNTA OUT OF POWER.
THE US DECIDED TO GIVE CEDRAS AN EXIT PACKAGE. THEY FLEW HIM AND HIS FAMILY OUT OF HAITI AND TO PANAMA AND GAVE THEM A HOUSE TOO. SINCE 1994 CEDRAS AND HIS FAMILY HAVE BEEN LIVING QUIETLY IN PANAMA.
IN THE 1990S THERE WAS MUCH CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE IN THE UNITED STATES TO SHUT DOWN THE PROGRAM GIVEN ITS HORRIBLE RECORD. IN 2001 THE US ARMY RENAMED THE PROGRAM, BUT IT STILL CONTINUES THE SAME OLD SAME OLD.
SINCE 1990 ACTIVISTS HAVE BEEN DOING MANY DEMONSTRATIONS AT FORT BENNING GEORGIA DEMANDING THE PROGRAM CLOSE.
THE ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH FOUNDED BY AN AMERICAN CATHOLIC PRIEST IN 1990 HAS DETERMINED TO DEMAND TRANSPARENCY OF THE US ARMY PROGRAM AND ULTIMATELY THAT THE US ARMY STOP TRAINING FOREIGN MILITARY OFFICERS.
TO THIS DAY MANY US TRAINED SOLDIERS IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS HONDURAS AND COLOMBIA ARE STILL COMITTING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, DEATH SQUADS, AND EVEN DRUG SMUGGLING CRIMES. AND THE US ARMY SHOULD STOP TRAINING CORRUPT SOLDIERS DOING THESE THINGS. AMERICAN TAX PAYER DOLLARS SHOULD NOT BE SPENT TRAINING GOONS AND THUGS.
IT IS VERY NOTWORTHY HOW IN THE CASES OF MANUEL NORIEGA AND RAOUL CEDRAS HOW THE UNITED STATES HELPS DICTATORS AND LATER OVERTHROWS THEM IN INVASIONS. THE BIGGEST VICTIMS ARE THE ORDINARY CITIZENS OF COUNTRIES LIKE HAITI. AMERICA IS THE PUPPET MASTER
Complicated Politics 