A Colombian army captain who died defending his post has been identified as Marco David Pirajón Montezuma, one of two soldiers killed in an attack by the National Liberation Army (ELN) — a leftist guerrilla group still active in parts of Colombia despite decades of peace talks — on a military battalion in Ocaña, in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander.
Pirajón, 15 years into his military career, was born in the city of Sogamoso, in the Boyacá region. He was the eldest son of a now-retired Colombian Army major, and he was even named after his father. According to those who knew him, the military wasn’t just a job for Pirajón — it was practically in his blood. Friends and family say he was drawn to the institution from early childhood, spending his formative years surrounded by camouflage uniforms and army life long before he could walk on his own.
That early bond eventually grew into a lifelong devotion to the armed forces, one that ultimately cost him his life. He is being remembered as a career officer who gave everything to the institution he had admired since he was a boy.
To read the full story and learn more about Captain Pirajón’s life, check out the original report from El Tiempo.
Source: Él era el capitán Marco David Pirajón, uno de los uniformados asesinados en ataque del Eln al batallón de Ocaña, Norte de Santander; su historia (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: DVIDSHUB, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).