The face of Operation Southern Spear took on a personal identity with Marien Rincón, a United States Navy officer of Zulian origin, who was moved by revealing that It was part of the military deployment that culminated with the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
His testimony symbolizes the closing of a circle for thousands of Venezuelans who, after years of civil struggle, ended up serving in the ranks of the powers that finally intervened in the conflict.
Rincón used his Instagram account to share a photograph holding the national tricolor, accompanied by a message full of personal history. The official She defines herself as an “American born and raised in Venezuela”, emphasizing that before wearing the US naval uniform, she was just another protester in the protests that shook the capital of Zulia.
In his publication, Rincón addressed Maduro directly. “I am one of those who fought for their freedom in the streets of Maracaibo, Zulia. I am an Officer in the United States Navy. And I am also a participant in your great well-deserved capture.”
The officer emphasized that Maduro’s current destiny is a inevitable consequence of his past actions. “Someday you were going to fall, it was known that one day you were going to stop sleeping peacefully like you did to millions of mothers, fathers, daughters and sons, political prisoners, etc. You thought it would last you a lifetime, but you had people like me, From the core of the flotilla, and from the core of my hometown and country, against you.”
Rincón also sent a message to the diaspora and the victims of the crisis. “This goes for all Venezuelans. For those who we had to leave our country no return ticket, stop seeing our relatives, lose friends, lose relatives to whom we were never able to say goodbye (…) Life is a boomerang and you, Madurito, it’s finally your turn to return,” he said.
With this testimony, Officer Rincón not only confirms her strategic role in the fleet that operated in the Caribbean, but also gives voice to the feeling of justice of millions of forced migrants due to the economic and political situation of the country.
