The military are received with displays of affection in nursing homes.
The satisfaction of serving
“THE smile for today’s work is
worth the world to me”. Second
Lieutenant Jesús Evaristo Martínez
Noya finally rests, shortly before
nightfall, at home. He has taken a
shower and changed his clothes.
However, his workday, which began
around 7.30 a.m., is not yet over. “I
have to do some keyboard work”, he
says. Filling out the daily “paperwork”.
Before having dinner, enjoying a little
time with his family and going to bed,
he has to write a report about the
disinfection work carried out today
in two nursing homes in Vigo and a
shelter for the homeless in Pontevedra
and submit it to the command. The
technical document does not reflect
the feeling of satisfaction that remains
at the end of this day, already relieved
of tension. “The faces of the people,
their expressions of gratitude..”.,
recalls Second Lieutenant Martínez
Noya, head of one of the operational
teams of the NBC company of
7th Brigade Galicia that, since the
beginning of Operation Balmis, “works
on demand”, as he himself puts it, in
the northwest of Spain trying to “make
a tiny contribution to help the country
move forward”.
Captain Álvaro Michael is also
comforted by the fact that his work
is highly appreciated by the workers
and residents of the nursing homes he
visits. Stationed at NBC Regiment nº 1
in Valencia, the captain and his men
work far from home, in nursing homes
in Madrid’s Guadarrama mountain
range. “They see in us people in
uniform who come to give them a hand
and who remain calm, that reassures
them”, he says.
Complicated situations such as
those found by UME captain Enrique
Bascuas, from BIEM IV, in the nursing
homes and shelters that his unit tours.
“Their workers are pushed to the limit of
their possibilities”, he says. However,
in his opinion, “our presence comforts
them and helps them to move forward,
with heroic behaviour”.
“Being able to help is a source of
pride for us,” says Captain Rubén
Arcos, who is stationed at BRIPAC
(Paratrooper Brigade) in charge of
a team that carries out disinfection,
surveillance and reconnaissance
in several locations in Madrid. “In
many neighbourhoods people have
applauded us”, adds Lieutenant
Francisco Conde, also from BRIPAC,
for whom the presence of the Armed
Forces on the streets makes the
importance of the pandemic in the
country more evident. “No timetables”,
stresses Second Lieutenant Martínez
Noya. “It’s what we do. That’s what
we’re here for”.
J.L. Expósito
The military
protects critical
infrastructures
in support of the
State Security
Forces
cities. “We work in full coordination
with the State Security Forces”, said
Parachute Brigade Lieutenant Enrique
Conde during a patrol in Alcorcón.
The members of the Armed Forces
who participate in these support tasks
enjoy the status of agents of authority,
in accordance with an additional
provision of the state of alarm decree.
“If we witness an incident, we report it
immediately to the security forces, but
if it is very serious, we will intervene, as
any citizen would”, indicates Sergeant
Jorge Grijuela, head of one of the
platoons, as he distributes his men
around the Alcorcón suburban rail
station.
On March 21st, military deployment
was activated to provide security for the
Trillo (Guadalajara), Almaraz (Cáceres)
and Cofrentes (Valencia) nuclear power
plants, as well as for other energy
infrastructures in Mallorca, Ibiza, Cádiz
and Fuerteventura. The military thus
reinforces the surveillance of these
facilities against sabotage and terrorist
acts.
Also, since April 3rd, military units
have been monitoring land borders
with the aim of freeing up State Security
Forces personnel for other tasks.
“Balmis is the operation with the
most military resources at the disposal
of the authorities in our recent history”,
stressed the CHOD in a message of
thanks to all military personnel. “Rest
assured”, added General Villarroya,
“that with the sum of all our efforts we
will overcome this situation”.
José Luis Expósito, Elena Tarilonte
and Victor Hernández
UME (Military Emergencies Unit)
26 Revista Española de Defensa April 2020