Verú recalls that when he was very small he went to live with his brother. Then he was taken to a shelter and they were separated. Years later they met, drawn by a uniform, a gun and easy money. They became part of FARC.
They had hard years of training, discipline, fighting and also of hunger and lack of affection. Veru’s big brother was always a free soul who liked to walk in the woods. He had been warned several times. He was given one last chance. The next time there would be no punishment or torture, but immediate execution.
Verú remembers the coldness of the separation from his brother before he was killed by his own comrades. "We exchanged a big hug and he told me: “take care of yourself, Chino. Goodbye”. I did not go back to see him and I was not present at his execution."
"At the next training session, the commandant broke the news of his death. That day everything changed. Being there no longer meant anything to me so I started to think of running away." His life was turned around. He went to some of his relatives and gave himself up. He was brought to the centre run by the Salesians in Medellin.
Since that day, Verú has taken control of his own life. He has managed to catch up with the studies and reached the academic level of any teenager of his age. In recent years he has stopped saying and believing that "having a gun gives you life, and without one you could lose it at any time." Now he is preaching hope for the peace process in the country, because he says "Peace begins with oneself".
Source: Misiones Salesianas
