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    Argentinian War Dead Memorial offer.


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    Ulsterman, have you any more photos/info re these Argentine medals? It sounds like there are a great variety of medals official & unofficial, albeit for the one short lived conflict, & if attributable, accompanied by paperwork & photos etc they would form an interesting collection.

    Although it seems strange to someone used to the somewhat parsimoneus issue of awards by the British, I'm interested in these.

    I'm not too sure that I would want to start spending money on yet another branch of militaria collecting, but how common are these medals & award docs on the market?

    Am I right in assuming that like certain veterans organisations in eastern europe the Argentine falklands veterans organisations are following a harder line than the "war is futile & we should all be friends" route that we are used to from european WWI & WWII veterans organisations, & are vocal bodies with political clout? And do they all support the idea of Argentine occupied Falklands, or are some more of the peace & friendship type?

    A quick edit - I forgot - what's " inchoate" mean? Is it English?

    Edited by leigh kitchen
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    I have no idea about the local medals and am busy working of seeing the federal awards. I have the laws, some regulations, but damn few pictures or medals-let alone documents! The local awards I see mentioned and in some cases, can see the legal resolutions or statutes in provincial government web sites. However, the pictures above are about as close as I can see-so far.
    It's a rapidly growing field for certain. I am hampered by O level Spanish, but I have been looking on the internet for about a year and in that time there has been an almost daily new web site, article or resolution posted. Some sites, which were really good, have evaporated.
    The major Argentine vets web sites ALL are rabidly anti-British to varying degrees. The leading site includes a number of references to British troops on Tumbledown bayoneting and shooting POWs etc. etc.. There are numerous calls for a Sgt. Pennington (who I think was a Para) to be brought to the Hague for war crimes. A leading Argentine news web site (the Argentine "Slate") just did an article about the 'triumphalist" and "neo-imperialist arrogance' of the South Atlantic Medal Association selling commemorative baseball caps and polo shirts linked to the UK MOD.
    History lives!

    Edited by Ulsterman
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    Meanwhile the Argentine president marks the anniversary by making a demand that the UK hand the islands over to.........Argentina.

    Had Argentina previously ever occupied the islands or ever had any legitimate claim to them?

    hello Leigh,

    yes, Argentina occupied the islands from 1820 to 1833, the first human being born in the islands were Argentina citizens, one of them was Malvina Mar?a Vernet y S?ez( 1830) daugther of the Political and Military commander of the islands. they took posetion of the islands from Spain, that territory was part of the Virreinato del R?o de la Plata until 1810.

    in fact in that year Argentina paid the salary to the Spanish military commander in the island.

    Edited by Humberto Corado
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    It's a rapidly growing field for certain. I am hampered by O level Spanish, but I have been looking on the internet for about a year and in that time there has been an almost daily new web site, article or resolution posted. Some sites, which were really good, have evaporated.

    Ulsterman,

    if I can help you with any article translation just let me know!

    Edited by Humberto Corado
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    • 5 years later...

    ...and the anniversary awards continue........

    I look about every six months or so on line to see what is out there and now the Argentine awards for the Falklands War are truly staggering in number.

    So far there are the basic federally issued campaign medals (at least 4 different issue dates now), then the navy's issued medals, then police force medals, then provincial commemorative medals, then municipal/ town medals, then Veterans Association medals AND now Red Cross medals! ALSO, the Argentine National telephone Company issued a Malvinas veterans' medal!

    ......AND... there are commemorative badges, flags, patches and baseball caps !!!!

    THEN there are federal bravery awards, the federal medal for those killed in combat, thefederal wound medal and a combat medal (as opposed to an 'I was there medal' ) as well as the same for the navy (which seems to duplicate many federal awards).

    And JUST TODAY...I have discovered.......

    (drum roll).....

    REGIMENTAL MEDALS!!!!!!

    Interestingly the federal campaign medals may have been reissued as the classes of people awarded the medals (and the pensions) expanded. Originally the medals were for military personnel only, then noncombatants who had been in the war zone, then merchant marines and coast guards, then the police, then other civilians (notably journalists and film makers)....and now next of kin are regularly awarded the provincial awards and other non-federal medals.

    The Argentines may have lost the war, but they are certainly winning the national medal issue competition.

    Edited by Ulsterman
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    .......and this is the late Captain Ortiz, who was the commander of a mobile hospital during the war and as his base was being shot at, threw himself across the bodies of several wounded. He got the Heroism Cross @ 20 years later for his actions. Note he wears only the campaign medal, the Falklands commemorative bar (which i think is a separate award from the medal) , his vets association badge and the cross. RIP Captain Ortiz.

    Edited by Ulsterman
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    and last but not least....the Falklands Island Flag that was taken from the house of Governor Rex Hunt by the Argentine journalist Carlos Malod (and he still has it) as war booty. He stole it and stuffed it inside his jacket. In 100 years or so I expect it will show up in a militaria auction and be hotly fought over....

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    I couldn't swear to it but I think the Argentine government's position on their war dead being buried on the FI was that as far as they were concerned the dead were already buried in Argentine soil so there was no need to bring them back.

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    • 4 years later...

    A few more iterations.... I do not know what is going on interwebs wise in Argentina, but litterally 80% of the military websites there I bookmarked five years ago are gone- poof! 

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    and another close up

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    Edited by Ulsterman
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    .....and as with Weimar, the Falklands have now become a business opportunity for trophy/ medal makers eager to expand out of the Litte League/ school perfect attendance trophy/award market. Look at these offered for sale at this very moment! AND worn by vets marching on Malvinas Day!

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    Much to my surprise- whilst snouting around the internet I came across photos from an album I now own!

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    Another interesting fun fact is that if one googles " Medalles Malvinas" and makes one tiny little spelling error and clicks "images" you find some very odd pictures of glittery nude teenage vampirettes illustrating some sort of story about a sexy vampire on the islands during the war! The world has gone mad.

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    Edited by Ulsterman
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    Hello : As Argentinian i must said about the 1982 War that the theme is hard to debate , The general feelings here are : the Malvinas Falkland are ours , Great Britain posseses the islands by the force , Its as if a German of 1912 , intended to debate wiyh a French about Alsace . The war was for us a disaster , political diplomatic and military. the discrete military power that we have detented for decades was broked a pieces . the valour of the soldiers and their blood was dilapidated , not only by the Junta , all the Governments that come after made the same . misuse , manipulation . bad politic . Personally the 2th of April I was a civilian official in the Argentine Army . At early morning I arrived at my post , surprisingly the first lieutenant who shared with me the office was awaiting with a portable radio receptor in his hands . What happens ? asked ,we have reconquered Malvinas ,what you think about ? Well If I were British I will think that what begins in Friday not ends well . was the first that came to my mind . 

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    • 4 years later...

    Ulsterman,

     

    There are members of the forum who have undertaken a serious study of the medals awarded by Argentina as a result of the war.  While there have been medals awarded by national and other organizations in Argentina they were meant to honor those who took part in the conflict and to those who are still in the Malvinas.

     

    There was a comment above re the soldiers still buried on the islands.  There is only one recorded repatriation for reburial in Argentina.  The rest still lie in a cemetery outside Darwin.

     

    Regards,

     

    Gordon

     

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