With the presence of the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, the 104th anniversary of the Military Aviation Martyrs’ Day was commemorated this Wednesday 10th at the Air Force pantheon in the North Cemetery. The Minister of National Defense, Javier García, pointed out the importance of remembering those who gave their lives for the country by guarding its sovereignty.
The ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Secretary of the Presidency, Rodrigo Ferrés; the Undersecretary of Defense, Rivera Elgue, and the Commander in Chief of the Air Force, Luis de León, as well as national and military authorities.
In statements to the press, García highlighted the importance of remembering those aviators who gave their lives for the country and the custody of its sovereignty. He considered it good that the Air Force remembers the servants of the country.
He recalled the latest incidents in which members of the Air Force died and indicated that the military is continuously trained for the correct exercise of the task, but that nothing prevents tragedies linked to machines or human fatalities from happening, so it can be guaranteed that no new episodes will occur. “What is done is to work to minimize those possibilities,” Garcia said.
He recognized that greater equipment is necessary for the force and that, since these are very large investments, various options are being sought to achieve it.
Military Aviation Martyrs Day
Juan Manuel Boiso Lanza was the first director of the Military Aviation School, appointed to participate in a mission in France at the end of the First World War, to receive training as a fighter pilot. On August 10, 1918, in the city of Pau, he executed his last flight to complete the course, in the landing phase he lost his life and became the first martyr of military aviation.
The aeronautical tradition established this date to honor all those members of the Air Force who depart on “eternal flight” to join the “squadron of silence”.
