Dear Students of the United States, I am writing to you not as a politician, nor as a mere politically-minded person, but rather as a husband and businessman. father. In the middle of the Dirty War, in 1978, my wife Agustina was taken from our home while she was in labor. Up until that point, it was the most devastating moment of my life. That was until I learned what happened while she was being held there. She had given birth to her baby and was murdered. Later on the day of the execution, her name appeared with the status of "missing" in the local newspaper. My little boy or girl was in an unfamiliar place and the mere thought of my child without a mother became a nightmare for years to come. I'm not here to cry more or ask for sympathy, but allow me to explain my experiences living in Argentina during the Dirty War, and specifically during the reign of Jorge Videla. effects on Argentina and its people. This is what I experienced personally. Although the baby kidnappings caused grief for some people, many others were affected by Videla's strong opposition to left-wing groups. In fact, he was known to torture and murder anyone who opposed his right-wing ideas, especially those associated with the government. Just like my wife, government officials would be kidnapped and mysteriously dubbed "missing" the next day. But that was only the beginning. Videla opposed any diversity in political ideas. The slightest mention of being a left-wing thinker, and you would often face the same fate as my wife. This fate was, in essence, the method by which Videla avoided a right-wing future, by raising the kidnapped children to uphold the same political ideals and views he believed himself to be...... middle of paper . ..... I see it, a first impression means nothing if it is not fulfilled, and as an Argentine citizen I feel as betrayed as I am sad. The fact that he was unable to listen to other people's ideas and punished them for thinking differently outweighs the glimmer of hope he initially gave off. My message to anyone reading this: appreciate what you have. Not in the material sense, know that you have the right to think freely and not worry about your safety. Our country was hurt by this experience, but perhaps it was just one of those lessons we had to learn the hard way. I am confident that Argentina will bounce back and will never allow a dictatorship to consume the country like Videla did. As for me, I continue to look for my child. I hope he or she will have the strength to think independently and practice the freedoms we all deserve as human beings..