Respect from Nicaragua: Rest in Peace, Charlie Wilson
"I
briefly explained that there were Nicaraguans like us, who wanted to win the
war in our country - and not at the negotiating table. After my speech, Charlie
was among those who approached me to shake my hand. … Rest in peace, Charlie
Wilson."
I met Charlie Wilson in
Washington D.C., almost at the beginning of the 1980s war. In his role as Congressman
from the state of Texas, he supported the Afghan warriors (mujahedin) in what became
known as Operation
Cyclone against the Soviet invasion of their country, while we were doing
the same in Nicaragua.
Due to his position as a
member of the House Subcommittee for Defense Appropriations, Charlie was
responsible for changing the help the Afghans were receiving from a few
thousand dollars of obsolete rifles and old missiles to an annual budget of
about $600 million, which included sophisticated training and ground-to-air
Stinger rockets, capable of bringing down the mighty MI-24 helicopters of the
Soviet Army.
One can safely say that
Charlie Wilson, together with the Afghan fighters, caused the Soviets to
retreat from Afghanistan with their tail between their legs.
I can’t say that our first
meeting was cordial. An official of the U.S. Foreign Service introduced us,
having assured me that the Congressman would be a terrific ally for the cause
of the Freedom Fighters [the Contras] if we “worked him well.” For my part, we
hit the first rough spot when he was told I had once been an official at the
FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation
Front) Interior Ministry. He immediately exclaimed - with a bitter
expression and in an angry voice - the question that usually came first to the
lips of people like him:
-"What
made you join them?"
-"I
wanted a change," I replied.
-"You
wanted a change? Well, you’ve got it - he said in an even more acrid tone.
And now why are you here?," he continued.
At this point I knew we
weren't getting anywhere, and so I decided to answer him in my own way:
- "Thanks
to people like you who in the past have supported worthless governments." …
THE RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMOZA
A friendly official had
briefed me on Wilson’s relationship with Anastasio Somoza
Debayle. She warned me that the Congressman had been an ardent admirer of
Somoza, even soliciting funding from the U.S. government to support the former
Nicaraguan dictator.
I also learned that just
before the war, Charlie visited Nicaragua with Ed Wilson, a prominent former
CIA official, with the intention of creating a specialized anti-insurgent
force. The effort ended in nothing because, according to what was said, a
drunken Somoza tried to fondle the former agent’s wife.
Months later, while
participating in a Texas meeting of organizations against communism, the
organizers permitted me give a speech in which I briefly explained that there
were Nicaraguans like us, who wanted to win the war in our country - and not at
the negotiating table. After the speech, Charlie was among those who approached
me to shake my hand, on which occasion he said that “surprisingly, there is
some common ground between us. We're alright.”
We later saw one another at
different times, exchanging brief greetings. He was always in a hurry to some
party or another. For this predilection, he was called "Good Time Charlie."
I don’t know whether he
participated in lobbying efforts on behalf of the rebel forces [the Contras] which defended the
Nicaraguan people from the attacks of the FSLN with the passion of lawmakers like
Bob Dornan, Claude Pepper, Richard Helms and many others. But frankly, it
wouldn’t have surprised me.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
A few months ago I happened
to see a movie with Tom Hanks (Charlie Wilson’s War, 2007), based on
that part of his life. That reminded me of him and I told myself I should call
him to say hello and ask what new was happening with him. I never called. We
know what happens when one procrastinates.
Yesterday, international news
agencies announced that he passed away at a hospital in his native Texas. In a
few days, a part of history is going to be buried in that state. Let it be God
and not history that will judge him.
