..Troops Come Marching In

Yesterday the police came marching through our valley and our farm.  They were headed up the mountain for target practice.  In Ecuador, firearms cannot be bought or sold by civilians.  Most of these young officers were holding guns for the first time.  The boys were so excited and followed them up the mountain.  I stayed home with Zeb----

ready to call the US Embassy if no one came back in an hour :)

Troops marching through our valley

Will and David, (our Ecuadorian friend), were able to talk to the Captains for a while.  David is very politically minded, as is his family and the Captains recognized David's family name.  He knows the current president of Ecuador- Correa.  He was one of his university professors.  I am amazed as I truly learn how small this country is especially in its elite ruling group. Presidente Correa is about to be elected for the 3rd time and will be in office for 11 years once that term is finished.  

practicing formations

Will says they were treated like visiting dignitaries.  They were given a tour of what the men were doing.  They were learning to shoot a 223 rifle. When he told them that was Bleu's first gun and the men did not believe him.  Nor did they believe that Bleu was already a good shot at 11.  In Ecuador, no 11 year old would be allowed to shoot a gun.  In fact, the captains explained that if the officers made a mistake with a gun in training even once, they would never touch a gun again in their police career.   

After a long visit, 2 soldiers escorted our crew safely home.