The Spanish Lebanon Brigade celebrates Saint John Bosco

• The BRILIB celebrates Saint John Bosco - patron saint of the Army Logistics Units, the Experts Corps, the Technical Specialties Group, and the Logistics

The Libre Hidalgo Brigade military personnel celebrates Saint John Bosco at the Miguel de Cervantes Base. The military parade was presided by Brigadier General Melchor Marín Elvira, Chief of the 38th BRILIB. He was escorted by the 7th Brigade of the Lebanese Armed Forces Chief, Brigadier General Simon Zgheib, and by the second Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon, Hermógenes López García de Lomana.

The main event took place in D. Quixote de la Mancha Square. It was attended by the Honours Company, the Honours Squadron, the War Band, and the Guidons and Banners of all the units of the BRILIB.

The Honours Company, commanded by Captain Julio Coloma Peñate and made up of a platoon from the Logistics Unit and another platoon with specialist personnel from the BRILIB units, rendered the honours of ordinance to the authority.

This was followed by the reading of Saint John Bosco’s excerpt, which in November 1999 was approved by the Spanish Military Archbishop, and designated in 2000 by the JEME (Spain’s Army Chief of Staff), the figure of the Presbyter Saint John Bosco as Patron Saint of the Specialists Corps.

Lieutenant Colonel José F. Calviño González addressed a few words in which he encouraged the specialists to continue proving ‘that we are here to serve. Your virtues and values are vital for the Contingent's units to have a high degree of availability of their materials’, and added: ‘Today we are celebrating Saint Johan Bosco and I would particularly like to recall the military personnel, who, in the fulfilment of their missions, are no longer with us. In particular, a fond memory for Corporal Pedro Serrano Arjona, of 37 ULOG, who passed away on 18 AUG 22.’

Then, a tribute to those who gave their lives for Spain. The military parade ended with the Specialists Anthem, the Legionnaire Song, the recital of two evocations of the Spanish Legionary Creed, the disarticulation and the parade of the Force.

The majority of the specialist personnel belongs to the Legion's Logistics Group II based in Almeria and the AALOG 41 based in Zaragoza.