Taken from ...Another Brother by Louie DeBenedette:
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). We will never forget our brothers and sisters, both American and Vietnamese who died or were maimed on the battlefields of southeast Asia.
Louie and Antonio.
Today I am writing about another brother, Antonio Oporta Mejia, a Nicaraguan Sandinista. Antonio is a product of the 1984 war of National Liberation who died of complications from the wounds of that war.
I have many memories of my brother and friend. We first met in Managua at the Veterans Peace Convoy in 1988. We were greeted with beautiful flowers welcoming us along the route as we traveled into Managua. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Daniel Ortega and a whole host of paralyzed vets.
Afterwards, we attended a wheel chair basketball game. Antonio asked me to buy and wear the same color shirt that his team wore. Later, he invited me to his home in Boaco, which is north of Managua.... Read More