Veterans, relatives and relatives of soldiers who died in the Falklands War experienced a new day of emotion today, during the enthronement of the wreckage of Lieutenant Hector Volponifallen on May 23, 1982, in a ceremony held at the Malvinas National Museum (Munam) in the Cordoba city of Oliva.
A march in honor of the fallen hero, the passage of planes in low flight and as part of the tribute and a minute of silence were part of a ceremony that brought together officials, military leaders, students and citizens in the museum grounds, where part of the Mirage V-Dagger was enthroned.
“The remains of this plane represent the DNA of a soldier killed for the Homeland; people will be able to observe them and understand what the supreme sacrifice of a soldier who went to recover land that belongs to us means”reflected the director of the Munam, Gabriel Fioni.
Of the act, in which the fallen aviator lieutenant was also remembered Luciano Guadagnini and was headed by the head of the Air Force, Brigadier Xavier Julian Isaacparticipated the local mayor, Octavio Ibarraneighbors, young soldiers and students from schools in the city.
After Isaac’s speech, in which the performance of the aviators was highlighted, the remains of the aircraft were enthroned, the Mirage V-Dagger piloted by Volponi, a native of the Buenos Aires town of Tres Arroyos and military trained in the Military Aviation School in Córdoba.
Volponi was married and, after his death in the Malvinas War, his second son was born.
the enthronement It was the end of a process that began years ago when part of the plane’s cabin was recovered by British Infantry Battalion Corporal David Richardson.who contacted Gabriel Fioni, the director of the Munam, via social networks to return the remains of the Argentine Air Force plane.
The return was managed through the Argentine ambassador in the United Kingdom, Javier Figueroawho contacted Richardson and sent the pieces of the plane in a diplomatic bag to Buenos Aires.
The aircraft was shot down without ejection in Horseshoe Bay by an AIM-9L Harrier Sidewinder, commanded by British Lt. Martin Halle.
The aircraft fell in western Bahía Elefante, about three kilometers north of the establishment located on Borbón Island.
Last year, negotiations began to recover these valuable pieces, which according to Mayor Ibarra, had a striking request from the British military.
“When he informed the Foreign Ministry that he would deliver the material, what he asked for was that it be exhibited and shown to all Argentines and that it show the courage that our soldiers had in the fight for the land that belongs to all Argentines”said the community chief.
For his part, the head of the Air Force, Isaac, said: “Malvinas is always contradictory feelings, due to the pain of those who physically left us and the satisfaction at the time for the duty fulfilled”.
Isaac pondered the Cordovan museum dedicated to Malvinas and considered that thanks to this type of institution, “the flame is still burning” for sovereignty over the islands, 40 years later.
“The message is not only for the military, but also for civilians, for the children of the schools, to keep the flame alive, do not forget that those who gave their lives for the Homeland did so with deep conviction; It depends on you that this Malvinas feeling never ends. Or at least that is how it will be when we recover the islands, which will be sooner rather than later, I have no doubts”, complete.
Also present was the retired Major Petty Officer of the Air Force Juan Manuel Motewho directed the guide plane on that mission on May 23, 1982 and took the last photograph of Lieutenant Volponi, while he directed the aircraft towards combat.
“For us it is a pride, a very strong feeling, given that I was lucky enough to remember Lieutenant Volponi in a photo, on the last flight he made, I was lucky enough to take a photo of him in the guidance that We made the plane and that photo remained for history, that is why that photo today accompanies the remains of Lieutenant Volponi’s plane, which luckily has been achieved, ”said the retired military officer, in dialogue with Télam.
Mote lamented the “silence” that dominated the Malvinas issue for “25 or 30 years” after the war, but affirmed that now, for the ex-combatants, the situation has changed.
“It’s like we started to release all our memories and we started to live what we hadn’t lived years before; Now we really feel like telling our whole story, unfortunately a long time has passed, but at least we are telling what was once lived, ”he explained.
During the ceremony, held In the area adjacent to the museum, where airplanes and larger items are exhibited, an airplane passage was made in honor of the pilots, while a minute of silence was observed.
The remains of the Mirage V-Dagger were also deposited on a gun carriage, while the march was carried out in honor of the fallen hero, in an act that was also attended by cadets from the Military Aviation School, with the ceremonial flag of the School Military of the Nation.
