June is, without a doubt, the month of General Manuel Belgrano. The most appropriate month (although it should not be the only one), to remember the achievements of his patriotic work, the lucidity of his thought, his heroic figure and his enduring legacy. On the 3rd, precisely, his birth is celebrated – in 1770 – and on the 20th the anniversary of his passage into eternity, in 1850, is heartfeltly remembered. But, in addition, every June 3rd the Day of the Argentine Soldier is commemorated, which is why which timely tribute was also paid to First Sergeant Pedro Bustamante, soldier of Independence and drum major of Belgrano in the Expedition to Paraguay, carried out in October 1810 by mandate of the First National Junta.
The aforementioned tribute ceremony took place in the monolith that keeps the ashes of Sergeant Bustamante in the Municipal Cemetery of the city of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz. Thus, with the support of the new municipal authorities, it was possible to carry out the event, which had been suspended so many times, to honor this brave man from Santa Fe on a doubly important date, as it is part of the glorious and instructive history of one of our great heroes.
Accompanying this ceremony were the head of the Secretariat of Children, Adolescents and Family, Inés Larriera; the coordinator of the Municipal Cabinet, Víctor Hadad; Mr. Daniel Salas, of Ceremonial Intendance; the director of the Santa Fe necropolis, Luz Balbastro; the beloved soldiers of Malvinas; Lieutenant Colonel Martín Bilibío, deputy director of the General Belgrano Military High School; the Liceo Band, directed by the chief non-commissioned officer in charge Roxana Rodríguez; the president and vice president of the Sanmartiniano Institute; teachers, schoolchildren and flag bearers, as well as the communal chief of Soledad, Facundo Brillada and the delegation of said town.
The schools present were Primary No. 29 Sargento Pedro Bustamante, No. 1145 Particular Incorporated Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, No. 8224 of Secondary Education Oriented Particular Incorporated and No. 567 República Oriental del Uruguay. The religious intervention was led by Father Hugo Dalla Fontana, who blessed the commemorative plaques of the Commune of Soledad, the Liceo Militar and the Instituto Belgraniano de Santa Fe. Then there was a call of silence and later the Argentine National Anthem was sung.
Representing the mayor of Santa Fe, Víctor Hadad addressed some emotional words regarding General Belgrano and First Sergeant Bustamante in our city. The Commune of Soledad was present with a floral offering and the aforementioned communal official (Brillada) referred to the personality of Bustamante. School No. 29, for its part, placed a wreath on the monolith that holds the ashes of the honored Santa Fe soldier.
Finally, the president of the Belgraniano Institute of Santa Fe, Dr. Eduardo García Mazzuca, closed the event by thanking everyone present for attending such an emotional event coinciding with the birth of General Belgrano and the Day of the Argentine Soldier. The day ended with the Malvinas March, performed by the First Sergeant Drum Major Pedro Bustamante Band, from the General Belgrano Military High School.
