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Description
Two army soldiers armed with assault rifles walk among ruins in Perquín, El Salvador. The first two letters of the acronym for the guerrilla coalition Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, FMNL, appears on the wall to the right. The guerrillas had occupied the town in October 1982. But in the first couple of weeks of February 1983, Colonel Miguel Antonio Méndez and his Belloso Battalion retook town. The guerrillas assaulted the Belloso command post in Perquín on February 23rd forcing Méndez and his battalion to retreat from Perquín. The Belloso Battalion formed in 1982 with training assistance of the United States. It was one of the most aggressive military units during the Civil War. The men were trained at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and was nicknamed the Gringo Battalion. Dos soldados del ejército armados con rifles de asalto caminan entre las ruinas de Perquín, El Salvador. Las dos primeras letras del acrónimo de la coalición guerrillera del Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN, aparecen a la derecha del muro. Los guerrilleros habían ocupado la ciudad en octubre de 1982, pero en las primeras semanas de febrero de 1983, el Colonel Miguel Antonio Méndez y su batallón Belloso retomaron la ciudad. Los guerrilleros asaltaron el puesto de mando del Belloso en Perquín, el 23 de febrero, lo que obligó a Méndez ,y su batallón a retirarse de Perquín. El Batallón Belloso se formó en 1982 con la asistencia de entrenamiento de los Estados Unidos. Fue una de las unidades militares más agresivas durante la guerra civil. Los hombres fueron entrenados en Ft. Bragg; Carolina del Norte, y fue apodado el Batallón Gringo.
Civil War El Salvador Documentary photographs Soldiers El Salvador. Ejército Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front El Salvador--History--1979-1992 El Salvador--Politics and Government--1979-1992 El Salvador--Social Conditions
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