Lieutenant Pedro Sarmiento, from Venezuela's Presidential Honor Guard, tells Telesur about his experience resisting the January 3 US military aggression. Photo: Screenshot of Telesur's footage.
Lieutenant Pedro Sarmiento, of the Presidential Honor Guard, was one of the Venezuelan military personnel wounded during the armed invasion by the US regime on January 3. The action that left over 100 dead and resulted in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and National Assembly Deputy and First Lady Cilia Flores.
At the Military Hospital in Caracas, where he is receiving medical care, Sarmiento recounted how he and his troops experienced the US attack, emphasizing their valiant fight. “We Venezuelans are truly resilient. Despite the rapid intervention, we were able to confront and respond to this great power,” he commented during an interview with Telesur journalist Madelein García.
Recalling the events, the lieutenant noted that he managed to position his troops on a hill that morning, but they were bombed when they were detected.
“I managed to position myself on the hill with them. I gave them instructions and told them to ‘get up.’ The moment I told them to ‘get up,’ I got up, loaded the magazine, loaded the weapon, pointed upwards, and saw nothing. The moment I said ‘advance,’ what I felt was the impact of the explosion and the shockwave,” he recalled.
With wounds covered by bandages on one arm and both feet, he praised the efforts of his troops. He pointed out that, despite the technological superiority of the US, Venezuelan forces managed to respond to the incursion, while claiming that the invading country also suffered casualties during the confrontation.
“At first, they didn’t acknowledge the losses they had. Now, as time has passed, it can be said publicly that they also had losses,” he said.
Furthermore, he described the attack ordered by Donald Trump as a cowardly act.
Also at the Military Hospital, Corporal Yeiber Valbuena of the Presidential Honor Guard stated that his patriotic character remains intact.
“We Venezuelans always stand up to everything. They wanted to overshadow us, but they’ve never been able to,” he said.
Toll of US aggression
The toll of the attack ordered by Donald Trump was published by the Ministry for Science and Technology (Mincyt) in an infographic. The report specifies that the aggression caused the death of over 100 people, including 43 members of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) and 32 Cuban combatants who gave their lives fulfilling institutional protection and defense tasks within the framework of cooperation between Venezuela and Cuba.
US troops bombed various civilian and military infrastructure sites, including the Fuerte Tiuna Military Complex and the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base (La Carlota). The missiles also struck 85 containers at the port of La Guaira carrying critical supplies for kidney patients at the IVSS Dialysis and Nephrology Program, intended for the care of over 9,000 patients.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
