Chapter 3 Flashcards
(10 cards)
What event triggered Juan’s sense that a broader military crackdown was imminent?
The assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero on March 24, 1980, made Juan believe a citywide assault might follow, prompting him and others to close the clinic and flee.
How did Juan and other medical students prepare for potential violence during Romero’s funeral?
They created a rapid-response unit with taxis for evacuations, carried medical supplies and bicarbonate for tear gas, and wore layered shirts to disguise themselves if followed.
What happened during Romero’s funeral in the plaza outside the Metropolitan Cathedral?
Explosions and gunfire caused mass panic; crowds were trampled, at least 40 people died, and hundreds were injured. Juan treated wounded attendees and helped carry bodies inside the church.
What shift occurred in U.S. foreign policy after Reagan’s election in 1980?
Reagan’s team announced an end to Carter’s human rights emphasis, signaling stronger support for El Salvador’s military, and emboldening security forces to escalate repression.
What was the significance of the November 27, 1980, murders of the FDR leaders?
Their torture and execution marked the military’s rejection of negotiations with the left and a pivot to a policy of extermination, as noted in U.S. diplomatic cables.
What happened to the four American churchwomen in December 1980?
They were arrested by National Guardsmen, raped, and murdered. The incident was covered up by military officials, including General Vides Casanova, and became a flashpoint in U.S.-Salvadoran relations.
Why was Juan captured and tortured by the military in Chalatenango?
While on a humanitarian mission to perform surgery in a remote village, Juan was shot, falsely accused of being a guerrilla commander, and subjected to weeks of brutal torture.
How did the soldiers misinterpret Juan’s identity during his capture?
They suspected he was a guerrilla because of his hiking boots and unfamiliar medical tools, which they mistook for weapon parts.
Who was the high-ranking visitor Juan encountered during his detention, and what was his reaction?
General Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, head of the National Guard, visited Juan, interrogated him about his family, and watched passively as soldiers tortured him.
What symbolic and physical “mark” did the soldiers leave Juan with, and why?
They shot him in the forearm, telling him it was to ensure he would be “marked” as a leftist and would never practice medicine again.
