Argentine World War II veterans honoured by lawmakers in Congress
Lawmakers from t he Chamber of Deputies paid homage Thursday to 5,000 Argentine veterans who fought in World War II with the Allies against Nazism.
In a ceremony pushed for by Civic Coalition lawmakers Lucila Lehmann, Marcela Campagnoli and Elisa Carrió, the event was attended by ex-combatants and their families, along with the head of the lower house, Emilio Monzó, and the chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Cornelia Schmidt Liermann (PRO).
The ambassadors of the United Kingdom, Belgium and Australia were also present, while Canada, the European Union, Israel, Russia and Serbia also sent officials.
In an introduction, John Hunter, the former president of the Argentine British Community Council, paid tribute to those who served, highlighting the importance of their actions being officially recognised by Congress.
“It is necessary that these Argentine volunteers be recognised and their historical deeds be known. Their role was so important … they fought for freedom and democracy against totalitarianism and concentration camps,” he said.
Describing those who served as heroes, Schmidt Liermann said Argentina owed “a debt of recognition” to the veterans.
“They went voluntarily and many lost their lives to defend the freedom of nations. It fills me with pride and emotion, “added Lehmann. “The Argentine State is late in recognising them. I apologise for that. They had no doubts, they were not sent by the government but they went to defend freedom. They were generous in offering up their lives.”