NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS

NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS

Two soldiers of the Venezuelan national guard, a unit loyal to President Carlos Andres Perez, open fire February 4, 1992 against military rebels hidden in the building near the air force base of La Carlota, which was captured by rebels in a coup attempt. Barred by the United States, hated by his country’s rich but a hero to millions of others, Hugo Chavez, who led the February 1992 coup attempt as an army lieutenant colonel, is rising to the top of polls in the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election. (AP Photo/Diego Giudice)