Mario Teran, the Bolivian soldier who shot to execute revolutionary legend, Che Guera , has died after prolonged illness. He was 80.
Che Guevara had led the Cuban revolution that won power in 1959 under Fiedel Castro by toppling dictator Falgencia Batista. Guevara served as senior official in the Cuban govt for several years before setting off to lead similar movements in Africa and then in South America.
A Bolivian army group captured Guevara in 1967. Teran was chosen to shoot Guevara, then 39.
After the execution Teran told reporters “It was the worst moment of my life. I saw Che large, very large. His eyes shone intensely. I felt him coming over me and when he fixed his gaze on me, it made me dizzy…”
“’Calm yourself,’ he told me, ‘and aim well! You are going to kill a man!’. Then I took a step back toward the door, closed my eyes and fire,” Teran had said.
According to biographers, Teran missed his first shorts aimed at Guevara’s chest but eventually hit.
