Sunday Was Army Day!!
A funny thing happened while I was at Armed Forces Day…I realized that I don’t know a single American military hymn.
As a follow up to our all-day asado on Saturday, we rounded out the weekend with friends at the polo field in Buenos Aires attending a martial celebration on what was a clear and crisp fall day.
The lovely weather made it easy for the majority of troopers attempting parachute landings, with the exception of one poor gentleman who I thought was a goner when some nasty wind gusted up just prior to his landing. He took a shot when the ground came up to meet him, but he was a professional and was able to run off the field with his compatriots.
Onto the mock battles. I am happy to report that the Argentinians defeated the paltry Spanish forces in the battle for independence. Also, the modern military gents took out the enemy’s communication command center in a slick operation using grenade launchers and motorcycles. And lastly, I was relieved that only one horse fell on the muddy field during the cavalry charge (the rider appeared to be okay).
The kids were delighted to look at the tanks, rocket launchers, and helicopters. And perhaps the biggest delight for the little ones was the fact that they got to hold and aim various automatic weapons. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a female, 7-year-old, blond moppet aiming a deadly military gun. (Okay, maybe not.)
Pictured above is one of three guys who came down via parachute with a flag attached to their heel for the Malvinas portion of the ceremony. The remaining pictures below are from the reenactment of the revolutionary war and the defeat of the Spanish, culminating with the charge shown in the last image.
(A big thank you to our friend Gil Pereira for giving us copies of the pix he took!)
Subscribe in a Reader