Posted on 06/20/2021 11:53:01 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1979, the American Broadcasting Company journalist Bill Stewart was executed at a somocista checkpoint during Nicaragua’s bloody civil war.
And what is more, the deed was caught on film — pre-emptively balking the crumbling Nicaraguan dictatorship of the ability to, say, blame the killing on the Sandinista rebels.
Stewart was stopped in a marked press vehicle in Managua, ordered to lie down, and then kicked and shot through the head while colleagues looked on. Though his summary execution by national guardsmen was taped by fellow journos in the convoy, the reasons for it are well into the fog of war: even the identity of the guardsman who pulled the trigger isn’t known. (The commander of the roadblock would claim that it was a “Private Gonzalez” who conveniently died in combat later the very same day.) The immediate “investigation” promised by dictator Anastasio Somoza didn’t really have much chance to get off the ground before Somoza himself had to take to the skies fleeing, on July 17, the collapse of his own regime. Whether the executioner also escaped the revolution, fled into exile, became a Contra guerrilla, or actually did die in the fighting, only God can say....
(Excerpt) Read more at executedtoday.com ...
I remember when that happened.
I never heard of it.
Interesting.
I remember it also.
Yeah I recall seeing that on the news when those communist sandinista murdering **ers killed him. He was in a helpless position and they shot him just because.
It looked more like a cold blooded murder to me than an execution per se but, hey, let’s not forget what Communists do...
It’s a start...
Dangerous thing, sticking your nose into other peoples’ business.
That was also the reiteration of the best protection reporters had. The press treated the Somoza regime well until that execution. After that he couldn’t buy any positive ink in the worldwide press for all of the money in the world. That was the media’s message, hurt one of us and your side is caca to us. It worked well for a while protecting reporters until they completely sold their souls for leftism at all costs. Now when a terrorist beheads a reporter the press defends them to the ends of the earth.
OK, if someone with a gun orders me to lie down, I’m going to fight back. I’d rather die in a struggle than to obediently obey orders and get killed anyway.
Being a ‘war correspondent’ has never been a safe role, especially in civil and guerrilla wars. Even in established wars, guns, artillery and such don’t check names. Last 18 April was the 76th anniversary of Ernie Pyle’s death, arguably the most famous and loved American WW2 war reporter. Always more interested in the individual soldier, he was in the mud in Europe and the Pacific where, in the battle for Okinawa, he was killed on Iejima (aka ‘Ie Shima’).
I would bet the reason Bill Stewart was targeted and executed is that he was giving helpful military info to the Sandinista commies.
Who exactly is complaining?
Ernie got hit in his left temple right under his helmet. Death was instant.
The whole Nicaraguan situation back then was a complete sh*tshow. The DNC communist loving scum were neck deep in it and unfortunately,the Republicans felt America had to get involved and the rest is history.
“...even the identity of the guardsman who pulled the trigger isn’t known.”
Sanders and Kerry defended the Sandinistas in congress and most of the Democratic Party at the time voted to limit US action there and gave moral support the their revolution.
Mee too. The announcer of ABC 7 in LA choked up right after they showed it. It may have been Christine Lund or Ann Martin.
There should be video of who shot Ashley as every nearly every aspect of the US house has security camera or a CSPAN camera monitoring the action. I’ll bet CSPAN panned to the doors and the video will not see the light of day unless a grand jury is held or all those involved are dead from old age. The latter is more likely right now.
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