The war in El Salvador as seen through the eyes of a U.S. Army officer, a guerrilla leader, and a refugee turned gang member
Patrick Michael Moynihan finds himself returning to the small Central American country where, as a young impressionistic junior officer, he was thrust into the middle of a brutal civil war.Miguel Alejandro Xenias, once a member of the ruling elite in El Salvador, recalls his change of heart, advancement within the guerrilla movement, and his new-found hope for the country now that the FMLN is in power.Antonio Cruz, seeking a new life in America, finds only a different kind of hatred and conflict, joins the street gang MS-13, and returns home bringing with him a new kind of warfare.These perspectives spotlight an ongoing struggle in El Salvador that continues to impact the immigration crisis on our southern border and the spread of gang violence throughout the United States.
EXCERPT FROM
TARNISHED BRASS BY MAX L. KNIGHT
Antonio’s mother tried to keep her son from coming under the influence of the Maras. “Mijo, I want a better life for you than what the gangs offer. Por favor, don’t throw your life away. We fled El Salvador to escape the violence of war, not to have it replaced by another kind of violence. There is no hope in this lifestyle. It can only end in more tragedy.”
“Mama, I love you but you are wrong… there is nothing better about life in America. We’re not welcome here. There is no future here. You work yourself to death; for what? To barely put food in our mouths and live in a place that isn’t fit for a dog. No, Mama! At least banded together as Maras, Salvadorans receive respect and better opportunities.”
“What respect, Mijo? You’re not respected by society, only those that are your enemies give you this so called respect, and only begrudgingly. If they can, they will kill you. If they allow you to live it is either because they fear you, your business interests coincide, or they haven’t yet consolidated their own power. Any gains you have are at best temporary and ill gotten. You prey on the weak. You extort money from those who try to make an honest living and sell drugs to those who are without hope. This is not God’s way. This is not what your father would have wanted.”
Antonio’s response conveyed both the anguish and anger that would forever align his fate with that of Mara Salvatrucha.
“God and my father are dead!”
Max Knight was born in Panama and grew up in the Canal Zone and in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in English. A Distinguished Military Graduate, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and served twenty-four years in the Air Defense Artillery retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In addition to assignments within his basic branch, Max also specialized as a Foreign Area Officer in both the European Theatre of Operations (Germany and Greece) and within USSOUTHCOM (Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador). He received the Defense Superior Service Medal for his service in El Salvador during that country’s civil war. Max earned his master’s degree in government from Campbell University, and retired from the Army in 1997.
Upon retirement Max was hired by RCI Technologies in San Antonio and became its Director of Internal Operations. He also was the first volunteer docent at the Alamo working within its Education Department. However, following the tragic events of 9/11, he became an Independent Contractor and spent the next ten years as a Counterintelligence Specialist in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Central America before cancer forced him to quit.
Max has since published a memoir, Silver Taps, and a novel of westward expansion, Palo Duro. He resides in San Antonio with his wife, Janet “Gray.” They have three surviving children; Lisa, Brian, and Sean, and three grandchildren; Tony, Nicholas, and Cecilia Marie.
OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 8, 2019
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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10/29/19
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Promo
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10/29/19
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Excerpt
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10/30/19
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Author Interview
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10/30/19
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Review
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10/31/19
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Scrapbook page
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10/31/19
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Review
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11/1/19
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Playlist
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11/1/19
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Review
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11/2/19
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Review
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11/2/19
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Review
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I am learning a lot of history reading this book and the events were current when I was in high school! Never knew… thanks for the post!
Thanks, Kristine! And I agree. Great history lesson!