In Memoriam

In 1984, Yolanda led a rescue brigade during flooding of the Garrobo River near the Nicaragua neighbourhood. Learning that a girl was being swept away, she entered the river secured by a rope and managed to hand the child to her colleagues.

As she tried to get out, a landslide buried her. Her colleagues found her body six hours later in the Agua Caliente area. We remember her courage and the life she saved.

Alberto died in a traffic accident on the Troncal del Norte while caring for a patient inside an ambulance. The patient also died in the collision.

The main hall of the Comandos Training School bears his name. His dedication was captured during the 1989 offensive, when he protected civilians amid gunfire.

We remember Salvador for his dedication to rescue work and serving others. The Comandos archive preserves his story, connected to the Jiboa River in the Costa del Sol, as part of the memory of those who gave their lives to help.

José Edgardo dedicated twenty years to the Comandos. He was a mountain-rescue instructor and nursing technician, and also worked with Salud Sin Fronteras in Costa Rica.

In 2001, he died during a body-recovery operation in the Río Grande in San Miguel. He left a nine-year-old daughter and a newborn son. His colleagues remember his training and commitment to service.

Óscar helped many people during the civil war. His family also suffered violence: his 19-year-old son Armando was murdered in Ciudad Delgado while wearing the yellow uniform.

Óscar died at 69 after a long illness. His son Julio Edgardo continued the humanitarian work at the Antiguo Cuscatlán branch.

Known as “Julio Iglesias,” Nelson served as assistant secretary of the Board in the 1980s and president in the 1990s. He died in 2000. We remember his contribution to the organization and its volunteers.

Known as “Poliada,” Daniel was a lifeguard from the 1980s and led the El Majahual beach team for many years. He died in the 1990s, leaving a legacy dedicated to swimmers’ safety.

Mayén dedicated 26 years of service to the Central Base and was press officer from 1998. In 1999, he founded this website with Mark Hoffman to document and share the humanitarian work of the Comandos.

His work helped preserve the stories and photographs that now form part of our institutional memory.

José Antonio, a volunteer at the Apopa branch, was murdered by gang members on 11 June 2011. His death caused profound grief among his family and colleagues and is among the losses that violence inflicted on Salvadoran rescue services.

Carlos was a doctor and volunteer at the Central Base emergency clinic. On 2 July 2011, after finishing his shift, he died when his motorcycle was struck in the Layco neighbourhood of San Salvador.

We remember him for the time and knowledge he devoted to caring for people who needed help.

Erick was 14 and volunteered at the Quezaltepeque branch. He was murdered inside its premises on 10 April 2016.

In their statement of 13 April, the Comandos expressed solidarity with his family and colleagues and demanded respect for rescue organizations’ work. They reaffirmed their commitment to providing neutral, independent and impartial assistance.