Batteries – A new anniversary of the Marine Corps was commemorated Friday at the Plaza Soberanía of the Marine Corps Base Batteries. The 143rd anniversary brought together the personnel of the component in a ceremony that was presided over by the Commander of Training and Enlistment of the Navy, Rear Admiral Juan Carlos Daniel Abbondanza.
The naval authority was accompanied by the Commander of the Marine Corps (COIM), Commodore de Marina IM Fernando Daniel Terribile. Also present were naval authorities, other Armed Forces and Security Forces, commanders, directors and chiefs, Veterans of the Malvinas War, Marine Corps personnel, family members and special guests.
After the entry of the authorities and the corresponding greeting, the trained personnel were reviewed. Then the stanzas of the Argentine National Anthem were sung, performed by the Band of the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, and the Commander of the Marine Corps offered allusive words.
"Marines: 143 years ago, on that November 19, 1879 and making his own an idea of Sarmiento's visionary naval thought, the then president Nicolás Avellaneda, formalized our organic life and instituted by Decree the creation of the Coastal Artillery Corps," said the Commodore of Navy Terribile to introduce a brief historical review.
The words continued in the description of the fight against the British Invasions, the battles for the Gesta de Mayo until the glorious Operation Rosario during the conflict for the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands. "The decorations for 'Honor to Valor in Combat' that our war flags hold today are the result of the selflessness, courage and sacrifice of those Marines," said the COIM.
Regarding the current status of the component, its highest authority said: "Today's Marine Corps adheres to a transition towards a substantive change aimed at meeting the needs of the battlespace from the challenges imposed by actions in the multidomain (...) We have been forced to transform our doctrine and increase the knowledge and professional education of our staff, inserted today in the information age. In that sense we refined procedures, techniques and tactics to refocus our operations, giving rise to many innovative concepts and ideas."
Finally, the Commander of the Marine Corps loudly pronounced the motto of the component "Patriae Semper Vigiles!".
After the speech, the military chaplain Pablo Caballero Karanik made a religious invocation and blessed the awards and badges that were subsequently delivered. On this occasion, the personnel of officers and non-commissioned officers who effected their retirement with 35 or more years of service were recognized. In addition, the distinctive component was given to officers from foreign countries, the Argentine Army and the Professional Corps who are in units of the Marine Corps.
On the other hand, the President of the "Pedro Giachino" Foundation, Commander (RE) IM Oscar García Rabini, presented a plaque to the Marine Corps Command and the Amphibious Commandos Group. It was in gratitude for the support provided to keep alive the image and example of the first fallen in combat during the recovery of the Malvinas Islands, Commander IM (Post mortem) Pedro Edgardo Giachino.
Then, an evocative representation of the shot of the Historical Battery was carried out. After singing the Navy March, members of the Marine Corps paraded before the authorities and those present. The movement of the troops was joined by Veterans of the Malvinas War, who participated in the commemorative ceremony.
