CAS presides over Veterans Day ceremony in Barcelona in front of 2,000 people

Veterans parade in Barcelona (Photo: J.M. Seguela/DECET)

Hoisting of the National Flag during the ceremony (Photo: J.M. Seguela/DECET)

The CAS inspects the troops in formation (Photo: J.M. Seguela/DECET)

The Chief of the Army Staff, Army General Jaime Domínguez Buj, presided over the ceremony to mark Veterans Day for the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard, which took place at the El Bruch cantonment in Barcelona on 2 October and was attended by around 2,000 people.

The CAS was accompanied by Air Force General Eduardo González-Gallarza Morales, nationwide president of the Royal Brotherhood of Veterans of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard, and Lieutenant General Ricardo Álvarez-Espejo, Army Inspector General, amongst other dignitaries.

The ceremony included a homage to the Flag, a tribute to those who have given their life for Spain and a parade of the troops in formation. The latter consisted of an Honours Company of the 4th/62 Mountain Light Infantry Regiment “Barcelona” and around 500 veterans from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Civil Guard. Their families, other retired soldiers and reserve personnel attended the event; all in all, around 2,000 people.

“We keep alive the ideals of love for Spain, respect for the Constitution and loyalty to the King,” asserted the president of the Royal Brotherhood of Veterans. He also noted that alongside soldiers and civil guards, all those who have at any time sworn allegiance to the Flag “are bound for life to defend it; it is a duty that never ends”.

For his part, the CAS stated that the shared values of the Civil Guard and the Army “are still in force today” and expressed his gratitude to the veterans for “being a reminder of the military virtues and guiding the Armed Forces with their love for our dear Spain.”

This ceremony takes place every year; its location alternates among the Spanish towns where the Army, the Navy, the Air Force or the Civil Guard count with facilities. Hosting it this year was the responsibility of Barcelona, where it had not been held since it became institutionalised in 2003.

The Royal Brotherhood of Veterans of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard is the association which brings together retired soldiers and reservists, their widows and their orphans. Its aim is “to perpetuate the values and ideals which constitute the essence of the Armed Forces and to provide mutual help, protection and support to elderly people in need”. That aim is publicly demonstrated in this homage to former members of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard and their families.