The Journal of Uno Ramirez: Day 8

My shoulder still feels sore from earlier, and I can't walk yet. I couldn't believe it at first. We had lost the battle. San Ildefonso was still controlled by the loyalists. I woke up after the battle and we had retreated to the jungle. Ignacio was there to talk to me. He told me that Mendoza had arranged for him to escape. He told me that the captain wants him to go to the U.S. and become a doctor. I'm also going to be sent home to my family, but that's not the most exciting part. I'm supposed to go back to school! I'm supposed to talk to everyone. I'm supposed to tell them that our country can only succeed with healthcare and education and laws and proper elections. The guerillas will fund me and I am supposed to even find a way to be a school teacher. I can't even believe it.

I understand war so much more than I used to. It's so much easier to fight a war when I know the reason I am fighting. I know now that I am truly fighting for the good of the people. I am fighting for Mendoza's vision of healthcare and education in this country. I will become a teacher and spread knowledge to everyone I can find. I will teach all the young people so that they can lead better lives, but I will do all of this as a soldier. Ignacio told me something that I will never forget. I can be a soldier while also making people's lives better. I can serve my country in two ways. At last I have a cause to fight for, and never again will I be afraid to fire my rifle for what I know is right.

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