"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
~ The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:13
In the depths of Colombia's Guaviare jungle of the Amazon Forest danger lurks amidst the lush foliage, predators abound, the weather is inclement and hostile, it is a place that would exasperate the best trained men. There, swallowed into its belly of wilderness, four small children were at the mercy of the mighty forces of nature's untamed savagery.
It was an image that just could not leave the mind of Brigadier General Pedro Sánchez Suárez, commander of Colombia's Joint Special Operations Command in charge of the search for the children lost after surviving a light plane crash in the jungle that killed their mother.
For the 35 days of the search, Sanchez held his son closer than ever when he kissed him good night, aware that he was tucking him into a comfortable bed, under a secure roof, without rain and protected from all dangers. In those moments, he told Colombia's Caracol Network, his thoughts transported him to the jungle, dark, difficult, full of danger, full of adverse conditions, rain, bad weather, "these four children trying to survive".
He said that as a human being beneath that uniform, as a father, he felt these children as his own. What is more, he said most of his men out in the jungle, searching for them, had also made that emotional bond. The lost children were becoming Colombia's children.
The unwavering determination sense of duty are still etched in the general's face as he describes how his men embarked on a restless, treacherous mission to find the lost children.
The search was arduous; each passing day gnawed at the fragile thread of hope that Sanchez said filled all with the fear of not finding the children before the jungle consumed their lives.
But if these children had guardian angels, they came in the form of tough, resilient military men and indigenous scouts who were willing to defy the hostile wilderness to rescue them. With them, General Sánchez stood as a beacon of strength and determination.
The children were found and rescued 40 days after the tragic plane crash. It was faith, and hope, said Sánchez, that got them through, and it was love that made it possible.
That is a human love for children that they did not know. A love that transcended dangers and united strangers in a common purpose. It was a love that carved the jungle into sections of a spider net to find the children and defy the odds. It was a human commitment, the commitment of men who are or would-be fathers, searching for the children that had become every child in Colombia, the first and the last, and all the children that would ever be. A nation was transformed, and so were the men.
It is clear it was a commitment that extended far beyond their military duties.
In the poetry of life, for General Sanchez, and for his counterpart, General Jhor William Cotua, commander of the Colombian Special Forces, that commitment will extend for the rest of their lives. They have been named godparents to the two youngest children.
In Latin American culture, the godfather or "padrino" holds great significance in the life of children and carries various responsibilities and traditions. It is a lifelong role akin to a second parent, stepping in throughout life with spiritual, moral and emotional guidance. It is a special familial bond that begins at baptism.
On the plane from the jungle base to the capital, Bogota, where the children were for medical care and follow-up after the rescue, the children's father Manuel Roanoque was speaking with General Sanchez, who was asking his thoughts on their performance during the successful rescue. Then, in a moment, Roanoque turned to the tough general and said, "General I want you to be the godfather of the girl, the youngest one."
Sanchez tells the story with a beaming face; he touches his heart, and he appears to be fighting a knot in his throat. "For me it is an honor," he told Caracol.
It was a tender moment, a poignant bond forged amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the children's 40-day ordeal.
Sanchez shared the story of his own family, how they have just one son, a 9-year-old, and how his wife and he had spoken often of adopting another child.
"I told my wife that it is now reality, that we will have a daughter," he said in a voice overwhelmed by emotion. "She will have a different last name but that does not matter."
He said he told his son they now had in the family a new baby to take care of. "We will, dad," he said his son responded.
In that fleeting instant, the general was enveloped in a profound sense of humanity, as if the daunting rescue effort, the hope, the faith, and love he felt converged upon his being. The innocence and vulnerability of his godchild-to-be touching his heart in a way he couldn't explain. It was a sacred juncture.
Then Sánchez became the general again, "It is normal for victory to have thousands of parents, but defeat is an orphan. The reality is that it was the indigenous workers that found the children."
The two gallant generals, the men of honor and valor, however, will take the rescued souls as spiritual children and will protect, guide, and nurture them as if they were their own flesh and blood.
Yet that special bond is already there.
It was in looking into the pupils of their eyes, said Sanchez, that he simply understood that it is possible to achieve what one wants when one has faith and hope... and love.