Letter to the Editor
From: Gregory Walker
Sent: Wednesday, January 3, 2024 9:32:45 AM
Subject: David Baez
Just received the below from David Arturo Baez’s relative—reference my series in the Sentinel on Baez, his life and his death in Honduras.
Some years back I heard from David’s now adult son who likewise now lives in the States. He, too, expressed similar thoughts and recollections about his dad.
A Defector In Place—Parts 1 – 3
I must thank Jim Morris, who years ago as my editor in New York saw me signed for my Springblade series of which Book 3 (Stiletto) became the place holder for the Baez story that I’d learned about while stationed in Panama with 3/7 SFGA. I could never have imagined decades later that I’d have the opportunity to fully investigate the true story of David Baez and then to present it in such an appropriate forum as the Sentinel. Thank you, Jim!
And all those who knew Baez at 3/7 and, in some cases, encountered him again during clandestine AST missions in NIC when he was in the uniform of a Sandinista officer. Even then, Baez—who could have had those operators arrested as soon as he recognized them—did not compromise his SF brethren… their recollections, help, and friendship with David Arturo brought his story to life and accurately so.
Most important—his family and extended family today have reached a degree of closure and remember him with fondness, love, and respect.
“No fallen comrade left behind.”
Good Evening, Greg,
Thank you for your reply.
Your piece was, indeed, accurate. I most appreciate your depiction of my uncle as a man who had a vendetta against Somoza, as opposed to being a Sandinista true believer. I think he would have joined almost any movement that helped him towards his revenge. His mother, my mamita, as we called her, used to say that when he was a very little boy, he was already vowing to kill Somoza.
As I was reading your piece, I kept matching dates to things I knew about him. For example, I remember being about 5 years old and seeing my dad comforting my crying mother because someone had called to tell them that Tio Arturo had been reported missing-in-action. That happened in the early eighties. In reference to his physical strength, my mom used to tell us that he could take hold of a standing pole with both hands and extend his whole body horizontally. Interestingly enough, my wife and I were looking through pictures and found one of a 1-year-old me sitting on a table and laughing. On the back was written, Ft. Sherman, ’79. Either my uncle Arturo or his wife must have taken it.
The story of my mom’s family is a sad one, as you know. She spent her whole life followed by the ghost of my grandfather, as she was 5 when he was murdered by Somoza. My mom died in 2001 of a massive brain tumor, then my uncle Adolfo, the eldest, committed suicide in his home outside of Chicago some time around 2008 or so. My grandmother died not long after that. I sat with my uncle Eduardo at her grave in Jinotepe and watched him cry, saying, “Me hacen tanta falta.” I miss them so much. When he died, my sisters and I mourned not only him, but my mom and all of them all over again.
My dad was called home last September. Being 45 and yet feeling like an orphan, I loved reading your piece. It made me feel like they were all back and I could talk to them again for a little while.
Thank you.
God bless you,
Francisco
David Arturo Baez
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