stories
Falklands argentine veterans
Who are the men who went to the Malvinas Islands? That was the first question we ask ourselves in order to start this essay: to put a face and a name to those who suffered this war on the flesh. To be able to understand the dimension of this event through their testimonies, their expressions, what does it mean to have survived the war of Malvinas. How this historic episode meant a point of no return in their lives and how everything that came afterwards was experienced through the light of this dark moment.
The essay searches within the stories of the different subjects, with their specific lives: soldiers, officers, civilians. Their distinctive memories are the result of the differences of rank, but also of origin and social class. 30 years later, the relevance of this episode allow us to think their stories in parallel with the history of the country.
Jorge Goeing, 72 years old, Air force retired soldier. «Back then, I had already been at the Malvinas. I worked at the air force intelligence department. Whenever I went there, I stayed at the house of a woman from Uruguay who lived there.... (+)
Miguel Anderfuhrn 51 years old, conscript soldier. «At the beginning, everything was fine, but after 40 days, there was a time when we did not eat for almost a week.... (+)
Mario Oshiro, 51 years old, retired taxi driver, conscript soldier. «We were escaping from the british marines on a vehicle, with another soldier and a petty soldier. My partner and I, we went down to see if there was anybody on our bunker. It was empty.... (+)
Jorge Tedesco, 50 years old, city councillor who works on the matter of veterans rights, conscript soldier. «When they call me to the war, i went through many different emotions: since my military service was almost over, I thought they were kidding me.... (+)
Poster of the General Confederation of Labour trade union, claiming that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. San Telmo neighborhood, Buenos Aires city.
Marcelo Olindi, 50 years old, worker on an elementary school, conscript soldier. I worked on the food storage but I lost 35 kilos! It has to be said that the so called «portions» were nothing but soap and toilet paper.»
Jorge Rey, 50 years old, court officer, conscript soldier. «Our generation was not prepared. They gave me a mortar, a weapon that I have never seen before. I shot in a mechanical way, without understanding the consequences. When it broke down I stopped and I felt really bad.... (+)
Monument to the victims of the Falklands War, in front of the Ministry of Defense.
Alejandro Diego, 50 years old, former executive of Techint Company, conscript soldier. I grew up on the good neighborhoods. My folks got an arrangement during my military service, so I could be located on the Meteorology department at the Ministry of Defense.... (+)
Norberto Jorge Flores, 49 years old, retired court officer, conscript soldier. «To me war was the attempt to survive. I was skinny, just like today. I watched my partners getting thinner. I could not allowed myself to go through that.... (+)
Juan Carlos Ianuzzo, 70 years old, retired Navy officer. «I was a commodore officer. The ship where «I was got attacked but luckily the bomb did not explode. We sail for awhile with that thing on board.... (+)
« Sovereignty is to take back what is ours». Poster claiming that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. San Telmo neighborhood, Buenos Aires city.
Edgardo A. Dell’Elicine, 74 years old, retired merchant navy captain, civilian. I was captain of the «Rio Carcaraña» ship. On may 16th we noticed that for the first time in a long time the sky was clear.... (+)
Hall of the merchant navy captains’ centre. Photos and paintings of the civilian ships used by the Army during the Falklands War.