Day Two:

Today I asked Mendoza something. At first, I was expecting a beating for being so “impolite” to my superiors –“There have been forty-two revolutions in our country, and none of those wars helped. This is another. Will the war be one this time?”- But, I saw something in his eyes. The usual photo like expression disappeared. I looked beyond the Captain, beyond the propaganda speeches, and the lies. What I saw, was terrifying. –“I don’t know…All I know is the great need. This country has a volcano for a mother and a jaguar for a father. The children suffer. We must try.”-and without saying another word, Captain Mendoza walked away. I was shocked. Never in my wildest dreams would have thought of Mendoza like this. There is something about him, something different. He’s not like the other captains.
Does this revolution have a purpose then? If they have fallen to the Loyalists countless times before, why bother? What’s the force that fuels the hatred and bloodlust between these two factions? This is something I’m not surprised I don’t understand. In a way, I don’t even want to know, but then again, it’s nagging on me. It’s almost like, I have to know. They tell us that, when the revolutionaries win, that life will be better. They claim that when they win, they will fix up everything in the country and make sure the starvation and poverty goes away. Well, I’m not convinced, seeing that they already broke more than a few promises. They claimed they would give soldier’s families food and water, but as far as I’m concerned, my village has gotten none of that.