The Armed forces They continue to strengthen their ties with civil society thanks to actions in which they leave the barracks and show their work to civil society. He Armed Force Day It has become a perfect excuse to get to know some of the Army’s traditions and attend massive and emotional events. This day is celebrated annually on the Saturday closest to May 30, the festival of San Fernando. On this occasion, the national celebration took place on June 3 in Granada, and on Saturday June 10 it was the turn of Canary Islands.
The day was full of activities that did not leave indifferent the residents who walked along the Santa Cruz maritime avenue. The programming began at ten in the morning with the raising of the flag and from that moment it was possible to visit the exhibition of military material in which about 400 members of different Army units participated. Throughout the day, in addition to being able to board some of the vehicles used by these professionals and learn the secrets of their day-to-day lives, the attendees were left speechless when they saw how some helicopters flew over at a very low altitude from where some paratroopers carried out jumps that aroused loud ovations.
However, the most solemn moment came after seven in the evening, when the flag-lowering ceremony was held, presided over by the Chief General of the Canary Islands Command, Lieutenant General Julio Salom Herrera. Defenders of peace and freedom. That is the motto of this year’s celebration. It is a day that, as members of the Army explained to all the attendees who gathered around the maritime avenue, has gained importance in recent years with the aim of promoting “reciprocal understanding” with Spanish society . “This is a day to get closer to each other”, expressed the leaders of the act in which an Honors Unit with a Squad of Beaters participated, as well as the War Band No. 2 of the Canarias XVI Brigade, a Battery of the Field Artillery Regiment No. 93, a Company of the Infantry Regiment Tenerife No. 49 and a mixed Company with personnel from the 6th Maneuver Helicopter Battalion, Civil Guard and Military Emergency Unit.
The act was held with great punctuality and, in it, the head of the Canary Islands Command addressed the residents and welcomed them to this event that each year brings together a greater number of canaries. “The flag is the heritage of all Spaniards”recalled the professionals in charge of the act. The flag descended from the mast to the chords of the Spanish anthem and it was an inter-army squad made up of, among others, members of the Civil Guard and the Military Emergency Unit, in charge of folding and delivering the flag in one of the most solemn moments pm.
In addition, there was time to highlight the career of the most veteran soldier who is active in the Canary Islands, the Commander Pedro Juan Morro, who began his military training when he was only 15 years old and has been stationed in Cádiz and the Canary Islands. Then came the emotional moment in which he paid homage to the fallen and wounded in international missions.
The armies of Spain they are the legacy of a long military tradition. And it is from there that, in the year 1503, the prayer ring, a bugle call that could be heard in the afternoon during the tribute to those who fell in battle. At the exact moment when the laurel wreath was placed on the monument to those who gave their lives for Spain, two F-18 planes from the Canary Islands Air Command flew over this point in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, arousing great applause. After this tribute it was the turn of the air parade in which two helicopters and also members of the Army on foot participated.
