The family and friends of two ex-green beret who captured during an alleged failed plot to overturn Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro have spoken out about their sons’ arrest.
Former US special forces members from Texas, Luke Denman and Airan Berry were two of a small group involved in the alleged attempt on 3 May to overthrow Mr Maduro . The botched plot led to the deaths of eight people and a number of captures.
A number of the men’s relatives and friends spoke to CBS News about the interactions with the men in the lead up to the invasion.
Download the new Independent Premium app
Sharing the full story, not just the headlines
Download now
“He said I had something come up in Florida,” Mr Denman’s father, Frank Denman, told the broadcaster. “He said it was a confidential kind of thing.”
Mr Denman said his son told him the work would be “the most meaningful thing” he had ever done in his life.
Venezuela has been in a deepening political and economic crisis under Mr Maduro’s rule with crumbling public services such as running water, electricity and medical care causing widespread suffering.
“I get it now,” Mr Denman said. “Everyone knows about the suffering of the Venezuelan people.”
“And the motto of the green berets,” he added, “is free the oppressed.”
Mr Berry’s girlfriend Tatianna Saito also spoke to the outlet about her ignorance of the plot but spoke of how the former green beret insisted that his work would be for a good cause.
“I didn’t know the nature of the job or where it was,” Ms Saito said. “I just knew that he seemed to think it was a great opportunity.”
left
Created with Sketch.
right
Created with Sketch.
Shape
Created with Sketch.
In crisis-hit Venezuela, terminally ill children struggle for survival
1/22
Yelitza Parra poses with her 7-year-old son Alyeiner Moises in Caracas, Venezuela. Alyeiner has been diagnosed with severe bone marrow aplasia and needs constant treatment and transplants, especially of platelets. Derived from his low defenses, he also suffers from Hepatitis C and Cushing's syndrome
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
2/22
Alyeiner was diagnosed at the age of four after routine exams at school. "I had to buy the needles to do the hematology for my son," Yelitza said. She wants the government to pay more attention to the precarious situation of children with terminal illnesses
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
3/22
Ines Zarza poses with her 7-year-old daughter Maria Elena. Maria Elena was diagnosed with severe sickle cell disease after a cerebrovascular accident in 2016
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
4/22
Maria Elena has to take medicine, which Ines usually gets through donations. They need $2,600 for another test. "I don't even have money to eat, where I am going to find that amount?" Ines says
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
5/22
Rosa Colina poses with her 17-year-old daughter Cristina. Cristina has been diagnosed with major thalassemia, systemic lupus erythematosus and Hepatitis C
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
6/22
"It is not easy to stand the criticism of people on the street," Cristina says. "In December last year we were walking and a group of young people approached. I heard one say to the other: 'Look, she has AIDS'. That was devastating for me because I don't have AIDS and I'm not going to give it to anyone," Cristina said
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
7/22
Jacqueline Sulbarn poses with her 10-year-old son Carlos. Carlos is a survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but must complete two years of treatment to prevent relapse. ALL is a type of blood and bone marrow cancer that leaves the child unprotected from infections
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
8/22
Carlos' treatment has had to be interrupted due to his parent's economic problems. "Sometimes he asks me why he does not have hair, and I tell him it's because his dad wants to see him with the same haircut as him. My husband cut off all his hair too," Jaqueline says. According to the US National Library of Medicine, genetic disorders such as Down syndrome are a high risk factor which can lead to developing ALL.
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
9/22
Elsa Murillo poses with her 16-year-old son Miguel Alejandro. Miguel was diagnosed with beta thalassemia in 2007, a genetic severe anemia that forces the adolescent to undergo red blood cell transfusions every three weeks. His illness could be solved with a bone marrow transplant, for which he is on an emergency waiting list that's not going down
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
10/22
Despite the added difficulty of living two hours from the capital, the worst part for Elsa is to see her son lose hope: "I get sad when I see that he loses his temper. Sometimes he tells me that he does not want this anymore"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
11/22
Evelline Fernandez poses with her 15-year-old daughter Edenny. Edenny was diagnosed with major thalassemia at the age of one. She hes been receiving blood transfusions since she was seven months old
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
12/22
For Eddeny, the most difficult thing is to miss class and her classmates calling her 'chameleon' or 'zombie' because of her skin color, which sometimes changes from her natural tone to yellow. "When she grows up she wants to be a lawyer," says her mother Evelline
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
13/22
Verioska Martinez poses with her 14-year-old son Jerson. Jerson has severe bone marrow aplasia, and he is one of the children on the list for an urgent transplant
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
14/22
"Here in Venezuela he does not have any chances, and his brother is not compatible [for a transplant]. The government told us that they cannot do anything because they owe so much money," says Martinez. She adds: "My children are my life. They know they are my everything. It's not only me, there are lots of mums who need help"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
15/22
Norlisa Aparicio poses with her 16-year-old son Oscar, who has beta thalassemia. "My son's disease manifested at four months old. His bone marrow does not produce red blood cells," Norlisa says. "The illness is more or less manageable but he has been seeking a transplant for 14 years. It is hereditary. I took the risk to have another child in case they could be compatible, but they aren't. My 10-year-old daughter is also a carrier"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
16/22
"The hardest part for me has been learning how the be a mother under this circumstances," says Norlisa. "We started bringing him to he hospital every 21 days thanks to much sacrifice. He has had severe dengue two times, at nine and at eleven years old. I feel helpless lots of times when I don't know what to do. There is no day that I don't speak about my son's need to get a transplant"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
17/22
Zulema Gonzalez poses with her 9-year-old son Juan Manuel. Juan Manuel was diagnosed with anemia when he was six months old, but it turned severe in January 2017 when he suffered a cerebrovascular accident. He suffered another last February.
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
18/22
'My son needs a transplant because he has blood transfusions every 21 days," Zulema says. "His blood is B+ and this is the only type he can receive. I have had to buy blood but sometimes I just can't get it and he spends a month without a transfusion. There's no congenital blood here because there are no reagents, and the government has not done anything to solve the problem for children with this condition. Untreated blood means they vomit and get diarrhea. I'd do anything for my child's life, I'd go anywhere. I'm not going to let him die; he is my son"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
19/22
Adriana Avariano poses with her 6-year-old daughter Mariana. Mariana has been diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and is in the first phase of chemotherapy. The protocol, that should last two years, has been extended due to the suspension of chemotherapy sessions - meanwhile, her cancer cells are reproducing
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
20/22
"Thank God we do not need a bone marrow transplant," Adriana said. "The day they tell us that it is necessary we are going to have to leave the country, because it is a lie that they are going to help us here. Many children have already died waiting for that transplant"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
21/22
Geraldine Labrador holds a photo of her late son Robert. Robert died at the age of seven of acute Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a few days before this picture was taken
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
22/22
'"Doctors told me he was very sick; one of them said that they had to put tubes in him because if he had respiratory failure they did not have the tools to help him. They stabilized his tension, but he went into a respiratory failure at 5am. For 40 minutes doctors were assisting him, until one came up to me and said: 'I do not want to be the last person to see the last breath of your son; you are the one who deserves to be there.' I went in there willing to give my son strength to resist, but in the midst of despair I told the doctors to leave him alone. I was with him, I kissed him a lot, and I decided to take all the tubes off. He did not deserve to suffer any longer"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
1/22
Yelitza Parra poses with her 7-year-old son Alyeiner Moises in Caracas, Venezuela. Alyeiner has been diagnosed with severe bone marrow aplasia and needs constant treatment and transplants, especially of platelets. Derived from his low defenses, he also suffers from Hepatitis C and Cushing's syndrome
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
2/22
Alyeiner was diagnosed at the age of four after routine exams at school. "I had to buy the needles to do the hematology for my son," Yelitza said. She wants the government to pay more attention to the precarious situation of children with terminal illnesses
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
3/22
Ines Zarza poses with her 7-year-old daughter Maria Elena. Maria Elena was diagnosed with severe sickle cell disease after a cerebrovascular accident in 2016
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
4/22
Maria Elena has to take medicine, which Ines usually gets through donations. They need $2,600 for another test. "I don't even have money to eat, where I am going to find that amount?" Ines says
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
5/22
Rosa Colina poses with her 17-year-old daughter Cristina. Cristina has been diagnosed with major thalassemia, systemic lupus erythematosus and Hepatitis C
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
6/22
"It is not easy to stand the criticism of people on the street," Cristina says. "In December last year we were walking and a group of young people approached. I heard one say to the other: 'Look, she has AIDS'. That was devastating for me because I don't have AIDS and I'm not going to give it to anyone," Cristina said
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
7/22
Jacqueline Sulbarn poses with her 10-year-old son Carlos. Carlos is a survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but must complete two years of treatment to prevent relapse. ALL is a type of blood and bone marrow cancer that leaves the child unprotected from infections
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
8/22
Carlos' treatment has had to be interrupted due to his parent's economic problems. "Sometimes he asks me why he does not have hair, and I tell him it's because his dad wants to see him with the same haircut as him. My husband cut off all his hair too," Jaqueline says. According to the US National Library of Medicine, genetic disorders such as Down syndrome are a high risk factor which can lead to developing ALL.
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
9/22
Elsa Murillo poses with her 16-year-old son Miguel Alejandro. Miguel was diagnosed with beta thalassemia in 2007, a genetic severe anemia that forces the adolescent to undergo red blood cell transfusions every three weeks. His illness could be solved with a bone marrow transplant, for which he is on an emergency waiting list that's not going down
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
10/22
Despite the added difficulty of living two hours from the capital, the worst part for Elsa is to see her son lose hope: "I get sad when I see that he loses his temper. Sometimes he tells me that he does not want this anymore"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
11/22
Evelline Fernandez poses with her 15-year-old daughter Edenny. Edenny was diagnosed with major thalassemia at the age of one. She hes been receiving blood transfusions since she was seven months old
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
12/22
For Eddeny, the most difficult thing is to miss class and her classmates calling her 'chameleon' or 'zombie' because of her skin color, which sometimes changes from her natural tone to yellow. "When she grows up she wants to be a lawyer," says her mother Evelline
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
13/22
Verioska Martinez poses with her 14-year-old son Jerson. Jerson has severe bone marrow aplasia, and he is one of the children on the list for an urgent transplant
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
14/22
"Here in Venezuela he does not have any chances, and his brother is not compatible [for a transplant]. The government told us that they cannot do anything because they owe so much money," says Martinez. She adds: "My children are my life. They know they are my everything. It's not only me, there are lots of mums who need help"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
15/22
Norlisa Aparicio poses with her 16-year-old son Oscar, who has beta thalassemia. "My son's disease manifested at four months old. His bone marrow does not produce red blood cells," Norlisa says. "The illness is more or less manageable but he has been seeking a transplant for 14 years. It is hereditary. I took the risk to have another child in case they could be compatible, but they aren't. My 10-year-old daughter is also a carrier"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
16/22
"The hardest part for me has been learning how the be a mother under this circumstances," says Norlisa. "We started bringing him to he hospital every 21 days thanks to much sacrifice. He has had severe dengue two times, at nine and at eleven years old. I feel helpless lots of times when I don't know what to do. There is no day that I don't speak about my son's need to get a transplant"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
17/22
Zulema Gonzalez poses with her 9-year-old son Juan Manuel. Juan Manuel was diagnosed with anemia when he was six months old, but it turned severe in January 2017 when he suffered a cerebrovascular accident. He suffered another last February.
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
18/22
'My son needs a transplant because he has blood transfusions every 21 days," Zulema says. "His blood is B+ and this is the only type he can receive. I have had to buy blood but sometimes I just can't get it and he spends a month without a transfusion. There's no congenital blood here because there are no reagents, and the government has not done anything to solve the problem for children with this condition. Untreated blood means they vomit and get diarrhea. I'd do anything for my child's life, I'd go anywhere. I'm not going to let him die; he is my son"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
19/22
Adriana Avariano poses with her 6-year-old daughter Mariana. Mariana has been diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and is in the first phase of chemotherapy. The protocol, that should last two years, has been extended due to the suspension of chemotherapy sessions - meanwhile, her cancer cells are reproducing
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
20/22
"Thank God we do not need a bone marrow transplant," Adriana said. "The day they tell us that it is necessary we are going to have to leave the country, because it is a lie that they are going to help us here. Many children have already died waiting for that transplant"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
21/22
Geraldine Labrador holds a photo of her late son Robert. Robert died at the age of seven of acute Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a few days before this picture was taken
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
22/22
'"Doctors told me he was very sick; one of them said that they had to put tubes in him because if he had respiratory failure they did not have the tools to help him. They stabilized his tension, but he went into a respiratory failure at 5am. For 40 minutes doctors were assisting him, until one came up to me and said: 'I do not want to be the last person to see the last breath of your son; you are the one who deserves to be there.' I went in there willing to give my son strength to resist, but in the midst of despair I told the doctors to leave him alone. I was with him, I kissed him a lot, and I decided to take all the tubes off. He did not deserve to suffer any longer"
Miguel Gutierrez/EPA
“I’d ask, ‘Is everything okay?’ And he’d say, ‘I feel like this is my calling. I feel like this is something very meaningful’,” she recalled.
The small army did not have enough funding or government support to sustain a victory against the president’s larger army and the plot was almost immediately scuppered.
Friends of Mr Denman and Mr Berry have said that if involved they believe the men may have been swayed by Jordan Goudreau a third green beret who has claimed responsibility for the plot.
“The only conclusion I can draw is he was intentionally deceived,” said Daniel Dochen, a friend of Mr Denman. “And Goudreau sent his former comrade-in-arms on a suicide mission in service of his ego.”
Mr Goudreau did not respond to request for comment when contacted by CBS News.
Others told the broadcaster they would not have participated in the coup without believing it was supported by the US government.
“He’s not the type of person who would do something that hasn’t gone through the proper channels,” Mr Berry’s wife, Melanie, told NBC News
The US government has continually denied involvement in the plot. “This was a rogue group that went in there,” President Donald Trump said last Friday.
The government previously offered a $15m reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuela’s president, who has also been charged with narcoterrorism and weapons offences.
Both men served as part of Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, according to CBS News.
Mr Berry is said to have served in the army from as an engineer sergeant between 1996 to 2013 and Mr Denman as a communications sergeant up until 2011.
Very little remains known about the operation, or how the men are being treated in Venezuelan custody.
“All that matters is to get them home,” Mr Berry’s wife said. “They love their families. They love their country. They’re good men.”
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Premium to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
About The Independent commenting
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.