International missions through the eyes of war correspondents

13 war correspondents have contributed their vision and experience of the international missions in which the Army has taken part in the last 25 years to the 2016 calendar, which was presented at Palacio de Buenavista on 20 November.

The event was presided over by the Chief of the Army Staff, Army General Jaime Domínguez Buj, who highlighted the trait shared by journalists and soldiers in conflict zones: “They give their all to their work – sometimes, even their life”. He also pointed out that correspondents have accompanied and witnessed Spain’s participation in foreign missions from the very beginning, and they have been responsible for making them known to wider society.

The calendar was the initiative of the Communication Department of the Army. Its aim is to depict the 25 years the Army has been taking part in international missions through the eyes of a group of war correspondents, but also to show appreciation for their collaboration and to bear witness to the affection in which many of them are held by soldiers.

The actor and current president of the Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, Antonio Resines, hosted of the event. He provided a brief account of each of the missions, sometimes assisted by the chief of the relevant contingent. Then the journalist who covered it (or their representative in the case of those who were not able to attend) was presented with that page of the calendar encased in acrylic glass.

The calendar was presented at Army HQ (Madrid) (Photo: Iván Jiménez / DECET)

13 months, 13 eye-witness accounts

The calendar begins with January and Iraqi Kurdistan, the first international mission Spain participated in as other than an observer, as recalled by General Juan Cifuentes, current commander of the Parachute Brigade; the commentary was provided by David Beriain, of Cuatro TV. February is devoted to the Balkans, one of the most memorable missions for the Army; in this case, the correspondent selected was Gervasio Sánchez of El Heraldo.

Albania is remembered in March with the help of Fran Sevilla, of Spanish National Radio. April is the turn for Kosovo, with José Antonio Guardiola of TVE. May is for Mozambique after the 2000 flood, where the role of the Medical Brigade was crucial, hence it was presented by its current commander, General Manuel Guiote; press photographer Evaristo Canete said a word of tribute to the Spanish soldiers he met during that mission.

Afghanistan is the subject of the month of June; the journalist chosen was El Mundo correspondent Mónica Bernabé. July is for Iraq, with the words of Marc Marginedas of El Periódico.

August is dedicated to Indonesia and TVE journalist Almudena Ariza. September is for Lebanon and Tomás Alcoverro, of La Vanguardia. The last three months of the year are dedicated to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Alberto Rojas of El Mundo; Mali, with Mayte Carrasco of Telecinco; and the Central African Republic, with Óscar Gutiérrez of El País.

January 2017 has also been added to accommodate the NATO mission in Turkey, where the Army has deployed a Patriot battery and nearly 150 gunners; the journalist for that month is Alfonso Armada of ABC.

The cover of the calendar was the work of painter Augusto Ferrer Dalmau; the back cover, of cartoonist José Manuel Esteban.