The Afterlives of Indio Bárbaro
conclusion THE AFTERLIVES OF THE INDIO BÁRBARO On May 2, 2011, U.S. Navy Seal Team 6 killed Osama bin Laden during a raid on his family compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The Seal Team leader in- formed President Obama about the success of the mission with the phrase “For God and Country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo.” After a moment’s pause, he clarified “Geronimoekia ,” meaning “Geronimo, Enemy Killed in Action.” Despite military claims to the contrary, it remains unclear whether “Geronimo” was shorthand for the mission (official code name “Operation Neptune Spear”), for bin Laden (official codename “Jackpot”), or for the act of killing bin Laden. What remains clear is that the name linked Osama bin Laden’s evasion of the U.S. military and intelligence communities for ten years at the beginning of the twenty- first century with the Apache leader’s evasion of the U.S. and Mexican militaries for ten years at the end of the nineteenth. Though separated by more than a century of U.S. global warfare, Geronimo and bin Laden w ere linked as terrorists in this communication, which also linked the Christian God and the nation. Bin Laden and Geronimo were savvy and resourceful, perhaps even brave, but ultimately they were beaten (and conjoined) as “terrorists” in the nation’s military memory and pop u lar imagination. One week later, on May 9, 2011, tens of thousands of demonstrators filled Mexico City’s Zócalo to welcome the “March for Peace with Justice and Dignity,” arriving after a five- day journey on foot from Cuernavaca, Morelos.
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