The Falklands War Memorial | Argentina | Living in Mexico

The Falklands War Memorial

01/22/08 10:13 AM Filed in: Argentina
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In 1982,
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the junta governing Argentina, faced with civil unrest, sought to divert the attention of the citizens by occupying the Falkland Islands, then held by the British as overseas territory. These islands have been long claimed by Argentina which calls them the Malvinas. The generals hoped to ignite an upwelling of patriotic fervor, reducing the threat to their regime.

Margaret Thatcher dispatched a task force which defeated the Argentineans. Casualties included 649 Argentinean soldiers dead. They are commemorated by a Vietnam Memorial-style monument.

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An outline of the Malvinas is on the brown tablet to the left. Black tablets bear the names of those killed in action. An honor guard in old-fashioned uniform protects the monument and honors the fallen soldiers.

The defeat in the Falklands War was a major step in the overthrow of the junta. Their last effort to maintain control of the country ended in disaster for them.

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My initial reaction on seeing the Malvinas Memorial was to write it off as a lame attempt do dignify a war that was no more than a cynical attempt by an unpopular government to stay in power. But it dawned on me that if that's all it is, then what is the Vietnam Memorial?

We are brought into war by those who lead us, almost always mistakenly. Those who are killed in them are a tragic loss. But these boys showed up when they were called on, and for that they should be remembered with dignity, no matter the legitimacy of the war that claimed their lives.

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