Ronald Reagan (battalion)

In 1979, a civil war broke out in El Salvador between the Revolutionary Government Junta , the pro-communist partisans of the FNOFM and the far-right death squads . Since 1981, the United States has actively joined the conflict on the side of the ruling junta. The Ronald Reagan administration regarded the Salvadoran War as an important element of global confrontation ^[1] .

US military and political support strengthened the position of the Salvadoran junta and helped stop the advance of the FNOFM partisans. President Reagan was very popular among the Salvadoran military and right - wing anti - communist forces. The exception in this regard was the extreme right-wing supporters of Major Roberto d'Aubusson , who even considered American politicians "accomplices of the Communists." But many of them, especially officers, paid tribute to US assistance.

The Ronald Reagan battalion was formed on May 7, 1984 (the creation date was timed to coincide with the professional holiday of the Salvadoran military - Salvadoran Soldier Day ). The size of the battalion was 350 people. The unit was stationed at a military base in San Francisco Gotera . There was a battalion in the Morasan department , where the guerrilla forces of the FNOFM were particularly active.

The battalion was armed with American automatic M16 rifles , bazookas , mortars ^[2] . Fire support from the air was provided by attack helicopters ^[3] . Since mid-1984, the Ronald Reagan battalion actively participated in battles with partisans.

The commander of the Ronald Reagan battalion was Lt. Col. Jorge Adalberto Cruz , commander of the government army in Morasan. He had a reputation as a highly professional military man, capable of winning victories in battles and effectively maintaining discipline in the troops (in particular, alcoholism and drug addiction were completely eradicated among his subordinates). This created him a certain popularity among the inhabitants of Morasan. At the same time, Cruz’s actions were very tough: during the fighting he was not inclined to avoid the “ collateral losses ” of the civilian population. In addition, Lieutenant Colonel Cruz was charged with terrorist acts against left activists ^[4] .

One of the leaders of the FNOFM, Joaquin Villalobos, persistently proposed to Cruz to go over to the partisans' side, but was categorically refused.

He tried to hire me for his army. He said that the partisans were a real army of the people. I said that we do not want to be another satellite of the Russian bear . The peoples of Poland and Hungary are the ones who truly fight for freedom.
Jorge Adalberto Cruz ^[5]

Lieutenant Colonel Cruz was not only an officer, but also a political activist. He belonged to the closest circle of Major d'Aubusson. On May 7, 1980, Cruz was arrested along with d'Aubusson and a group of his associates on charges of an anti-government conspiracy and the murder of Archbishop Romero ^[6] (soon all those arrested were released). Cruz was a prominent member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance ( ARENA ) ^[4] . His relationship with the Christian Democratic government and the War Department was rather complicated, since d'Aubusson and ARENA represented the extreme right-wing opposition.

The name "Ronald Reagan" Cruz gave the battalion arbitrarily, without the permission of the high command and political leadership, without consulting American representatives. (The reaction of Reagan himself might not have been the most positive - given the connection of Cruz with d'Aubusson, who threatened to kill the American ambassador Thomas Pickering .) As a result, a serious political and diplomatic incident arose. The government’s reaction to the lieutenant colonel’s arbitrariness was characterized by commentators as “rabies” ^[7] .

After the election of the leader of the Christian Democratic Party, Jose Napoleon Duarte, as president of El Salvador, the authorities tried to remove from the politics and military leadership a group of officers, especially those closely associated with d'Aubusson. Particular persistence in this direction was shown by Jose Antonio Morales Erlich ^[8] . Lt. Col. Cruz was sent on a mission to the United States.

The Ronald Reagan battalion was assigned to the elite units of the Salvadoran army. He really played a role in the course of the civil war, especially during the strategically important battles in Morasan. However, the political insecurity of the right-wing radical commander - from the point of view of a relatively moderate government - led to the fact that the activity of the unit was soon noticeably reduced. The battalion was disbanded in 1992 , according to a peace settlement agreement.

But at the same time, the name of the battalion “Ronald Reagan”, noticed in the USSR, played an important symbolic role ^[9] . Soviet propaganda bodies have repeatedly emphasized it, denoting the direct participation of the United States in a brutal bloody conflict.

• Atlacatl (battalion)