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A journey through the 525 year history of the position of sergeant in the headquarters of the Army.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Number: 7563

The lecture had three speakers

The lecture had three speakers

The Army Chief of Staff gave a gift to General Maldonado

The Army Chief of Staff gave a gift to General Maldonado

Lecture attendees

Lecture attendees

Those attending a lecture, held today in the auditorium of the Palacio de Buenavista in Madrid, which was organized to mark 525 years since the position of sergeant was created, made a journey through over 500 years of history.

This journey through time took the attendees from the creation of this post during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs (1494 is generally accepted to be the year when the post was created) to the present day and future challenges. The talk was led by three speakers: Fernández Maldonado, a general in the reserve and a specialist on this subject; the Army’s senior non-commissioned officer, Warrant officer class 1 Coloma; and the senior non-commissioned officer from the General Basic NCO Academy, Warrant officer class 1 Viñuales.

The Army’s Chief of Staff, Army General Varela, was amongst the attendees, as was the Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Bernardi. Staff from all the commands and units who have a base in the Army Headquarters also attended, and filled the room to capacity.

At the end of the presentation, the Army Chief of Staff gave General Fernández Maldonado a small scale replica of the statue of Bravery which is on display in the gardens of the Palacio de Buenavista in recognition of his untiring work researching, studying and sharing the story of the non-commissioned officers in the Army, which he has carried out throughout his life. He took this opportunity to address the room and emphasise that the non-commissioned officers are a “fundamental step and an essential element” of the Army that must be “loved and cared for”.

The conference is part of the activities which the Army leadership has promoted this year to commemorate the 525th anniversary of the position. In fact, similar conferences have been held in all the bases and barracks, in most cases led by the oldest non-commissioned officer in the unit.