Hard as they are to come by, heroes are quite abundant. Their opposites ought to be more so, but seldom does history register their treacherous achievements, except when they succeed, like in the case of Panama.”

“The non- heroes are fit for the facón, Sombra, to make kebabs out of them. That's all. Who dares ask what the kebab is made with?”

“Precisely, Fierro, this is why the case of Colombian Colonel Eliseo Torres Gutiérrez is so interesting, because those who fail to rise to heroism when expected to will be forever scorned.”

“Tell me more, Sombra, but do not mention his name again.”

“All right, Fierro, ‘this person’ is depicted by fellow Colombians as a Colombian who had sought a military life for himself, not for any particular love for the martial arts, least of all to serve his country, but simply to make a decent living.”

“A skunk like so many I met at the frontier, Sombra.”

“Whatever, Fierro, he is depicted as not particularly bright, perhaps obedient but lacking in initiative and inclined to hit the bottle. Unfortunately for Colombia and perhaps even for Panama, this man was Colombia's point man in the coastal city of Colón, on November 3, 1904.”

“Wrong man at the wrong time and place, Sombra. How did the Colombians fall for that?”

“Well that is an important managerial lesson, is it not, Fierro? Perhaps Colombians should have foreseen the outcome of staffing a fragile and coveted spot with a weak personality. But they did not, or perhaps they saw the risk but did nothing. Inaction is quite common among poor managers. It is as if they hoped for the best.” “Cut it short! How did matters evolve, Sombra?”