Eight decades later, the country does not forget (or at least, that’s what the speeches say)
In a display of solemnity that would make a statue pale, General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, head of the Secretary of National Defense, decided to personally honor the commemorative ceremony of the 80th anniversary of the return of Squadron 201. Because what better way to remember heroes than with more generals in gala dress? The military pomp was served, ready to commemorate that moment when Mexico, in a fit of international audacity, decided that it also wanted its piece of glory in the largest war conflict in history.
The commander of the Air Force took the floor, the major general, aviator pilot, Román Carmona Landa—a chain of titles so long that it almost needs its own landing strip. With the seriousness that the moment demanded, he explained that the current air soldiers face different challenges, although, he assures us, “no less demanding.” Its mission now is surveillance and protection of national airspace, a task that, without a doubt, consists of much more than looking at the sky with binoculars. Also, he told us, they provide support in disasters, working side by side with the Army and the National Guard. A collaboration so close that one wonders if they even share coffee in the same thermos.
The expeditionary spirit and the essential appointments
It was then that the speech became poetic, or the closest thing to poetry that a military statement can achieve. He stated that they carry out all these activities “impregnated with the spirit of the immortal Mexican Expeditionary Air Force.” A spirit that, apparently, is so powerful that it has managed to survive eight decades without losing its essence, like a good liquor. And all thanks to the fact that his “iconic 201st squadron crossed the Pacific eight decades ago to write a memorable feat in our nation’s book.” A feat, of course, that occupies an entire chapter, with illustrations and everything, in the collective imagination. Said this before hundreds of elements at the Monument to the Fallen Eagles, in the Chapultepec Forest, because if you are going to talk about eagles, what better place than one that literally has them in the name.
But the icing on the cake couldn’t be missing: the inspiring quote. To do this, they dusted off the words of First Transmission Sergeant, Maximiliano Gutiérrez Marín, presented as “the last survivor.” The good sergeant, with enviable clarity, declared that “the success of the Air Force lies in the patriotism of those of us who enlist voluntarily, selflessly responding to the call of the country.” A call that, one assumes, sounds like a glorious trumpet and not a simple administrative document. And he concluded with that “our unity as a team is key to achieving victory.” A truth so deep that it almost hurts, doesn’t it? This thought, they assure us, is what inspires the Armed Forces to join forces with all Mexicans to, together, “be victorious by building a better Mexico.” Because, in the end, building a country is like winning a war: it takes team, unity and, apparently, a lot of ceremonies.
The finishing touch was put by the cadets with a rifle salute, because in these events nothing says “solemn respect” like the sound of gunshots in the air. Immediately afterwards, the head of Defense and his entourage of high command placed a wreath and held a guard of honor. One imagines the scene: grown men, dressed in impeccable olive green, maintaining an iron composure in front of a monument. The question that floats in the air is: who watches over the airspace while all the bosses are on guard in Chapultepec? Surely it is another of those “no less demanding challenges” that they talked about.
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