 They were originally recruited for short-term contracts as brief as two or three months, but many of them remained in Nicaragua for periods of up to three years.Under the leadership of Santiago Murray, they did not hesitate to get aggressively involved in potentially risky situations involving confrontations between former Contras, former (and/or current) Sandinista security personnel, and government representatives.Their improvisation, enthusiasm and esprit de corps—unusual in an international verification mission—gave their actions a distinctive tone.