Pedro Edgardo Giachino | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1947-05-28)28 May 1947 |
| Died | (1982-04-02)2 April 1982 (aged 34) |
| Allegiance |  Argentina |
| Branch |  Argentine Navy |
| Years of service | 1964–1982 |
| Rank |  Frigate captain |
| Battles / wars | Falklands War |
| Alma mater | Military Naval School |
Capitan de CorbetaPedro Edgardo Giachino (28 May 1947 – 2 April 1982), was anArgentine Navy officer who became the first serviceman killed in action during theFalklands War.[1]
Giachino was the leader of aplatoon ofAmphibious Commandos Group and died of wounds in Stanley's hospital after thebattle of Government House, which resulted in the surrender of Falklands' GovernorRex Hunt and theRoyal Marines detachment during theArgentine invasion of 1982.[2]
He was awarded posthumously theArgentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross and promoted to the rank of captain.[3]
He was first buried atPuerto Belgrano, but owing to a letter from his 13-year-old daughter to PresidentRaúl Alfonsín in 1985, his remains were moved toMar del Plata, the hometown of his family.[1] The naval base of Mar del Plata was also the headquarters of the forces he led in combat at the time of his death.[3]
A number of witnesses' statements surfaced in 2011, accusing Giachino of being the commander of the illegal repression of militants in the area ofZárate-Campana, in northernBuenos Aires Province, between 1976 and 1977, during thedirty war. One of the main witnesses, former marine NCO Alfredo Molinari had several run ins with Giachino after being caught in possession of Karl Marx literature and later deserted his unit and took refuge in his parents house in Santiago del Estero.[4] Another of his accusers, Victor Basterra, aMontoneros guerrilla being held at theNavy Petty-Officers School inBuenos Aires, claimed in an interview that Giachino had been part of the security apparatus there.[5][6] Circumstantial evidence also mentions him as being in charge of the external security of Mar del Plata's naval base, at a time when a part of the military facilities was used as a detention and interrogation center. His death prevents any further legal investigation, but the pressure ofHuman Rights groups compelled theCity Council of Mar del Plata to remove his portrait from the chamber, where both the fallen soldiers from Mar del Plata and the local victims of theArgentine dictatorship are honoured.[7] On 13 July 2011, retired commander Fernando María Azcueta (former submarineARASan Luis skipper that sortied against the Royal Navy in the Falklands War) announced that he would be returning the meritorious citizen diploma he received on the part of the Mar del Plata authorities, in protest at their decision to remove Giachino's portrait from the main hall.[8] Fellow veterans that served in the submarinesSan Luis andSanta Fe also returned their awards as news spread in social media groups of Azcueta's decision.[9]