The story of the Malvinas veteran who returned to Darwin to play the trumpet after 37 years

Omar Tabarez landed in the Malvinas on 2 April 1982 without a rifle. He was 19 years old and had the case with his trumpet. He was the first corporal of the infantry regiment band 25 and his function was to do the regulatory retouching. "As soon as we walked on the floor, I touched a dawn of glorywho expressed a moment of joy because we arrived to recover our islands. Afterwards, we went to the city, which was further south. My function was every morning play the regular march for the raising of the flag, and when the sun was hiding, he gave the touch for the fall. In addition to music, I took care of keep the flag. I slept with me. "

On April 1, he and his companions learned that they had to go to the islands. "At first we thought it was an exercise, we had prepared to do a maneuver, but the surprise was that we were really going to war"Explains the veteran TN.com.ar

The music teacher remembers some key moments of his visit to the islands. One of them was when they learned that the British had sailed for the Falklands. "We had to return to the port area and find ourselves in different defense positions." I had no goal to fulfill, but to be always ready for when they call me"With a group of companions, whom he proudly calls" Los bravos del 25 ", they returned to the airport and stayed in a hangar.

At first we thought it was an exercise, we had prepared to do a maneuver, but the surprise was that We were really going to war.

"On May 1st at 4:45 pm, we heard a roar. It was the bombs that were starting to fall. We get up and look everywhere. We were very exposed, I do not know how we could go out. We ran and we were thrown into a bulldozer to take refuge. The anti-aircraft rang, there hell has begun. I was shaking all over. We did not know which side to take, we looked up. I just remembered that the regiment commander was telling us & # 39; Do not look, look ahead& # 39; Halfway through, I remembered that I had left the flag in the shed and ran out to look for him. In a second, I've spent from fear to an act of courage. I confided in God, seized the flag and ran to deliver him to the regiment's head. "

It's been 37 years since he landed for the first time in the Falkland Islands. On March 13, a guest traveled with a contingent of relatives of deceased and affected the silence in front of the graves Argentine heroes at the Darwin cemetery. There, he remembered the saddest moment: the to return four deceased companions. It was Lieutenant Dachary, Sergeant First White and the soldiers Lamas and Diarte, killed during a bombing. "You want to reach the deepest part of who's listening." The moments of fear came back to me, if we were to die for our country, we would do it. We went to defend our sovereignty and the Argentine people. If those in power deceived us or not, it is something else. "

A film meeting

Omar has always loved music since childhood. "I come from a modest family, with a father who had two jobs to support us in Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Ríos, where I grew up." Child, I saw the possibility, as Scouting , to learn to play musical instruments and I started with the bugle ".
Later, he joined the 121st Combat Engineer Battalion and from there he was sent to study music at the General Lemos NCO School. "I was received in the late 80's. They sent me to Colonia Sarmiento, Chubut a year and from there to the war."

On June 14, with the surrender of Argentine troops, the British began shipping them to the mainland. "They took us to Puerto Madryn, before boarding the ship, they checked us to know we had. When will come my turn, a Scottish Brit – later he would discover that it was Tony Banks- He had the trumpet delivered. He must have thought that he was carrying a rifle. With the permission of the chief of the operation, he takes me to the case, but to his surprise, he discovers that the musical instrument was inside. He wanted to return it to me, but they did not leave him and he remained remorseful. Some time later, the Malvinais relay arrived and he returned to Scotland with his war trophy, which he left in a private museum"

He has been exposed for 15 years. When the owner of the museum died, they called him to inform him that he was going to fetch the trumpet. They gave it to him and, before leaving, he realized that the music book was missing. banks he knew the incommensurable value of the notebook stained with insular ground. On the first page, he said: "The first Cabo musician, Tabarez Omar Rene".

Tony Banks, a veteran turned millionaire with great success, decided to find the Argentinian to give him his instrument. "He asked himself if he was alive or dead, and that did not leave him alone, and in 2010 he decided to go to the Malvinas to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers and to his back, he hired a freelance journalist to find me.He wanted me to identify the owner of the instrument and, if the name matches that of the soldier, the Scottish would hand it to him: Jeff Farrell, an Irishman who went to Colombia to cover the elections. I only had this number: BF 33-505.

banks he knew the immeasurable value of the dirty soil notebook of the islands. On the first page, he said: "The first Cabo musician, Tabarez Omar Rene".

It took him three months to find him. Two days before traveling to Colombia, someone told him to find out about it in the army. He arrived at the department of the band, there were the trumpet records. "They tell him my name, call Scotland and confirm to Banks:" I found your man "". What followed was the most anticipated moment for both: the meeting. Banks went to Tabarez's house in Moreno to give it to him. "This is your brother, now I can die in peace"Remember Omar who told him when he gave him the case with the trumpet and the musical book." He regretted that we had taken different paths during the war, but I knew it was not not our decision but that of power. "In tribute, the two soldiers who fought on both sides joined in silence after 28 years "It is not a bronze, it speaks, it has life", The musician says with enthusiasm.

To honor those who died in Darwin 37 years later

With his trumpet torn off in June 1982 and found at home decades later, Omar returned to the Falklands three weeks ago. "I went back to another cemetery. A Darwin I did not know, but where are our colleagues today. It was to remember this minute of silence. I closed my eyes and on every note that I played, I thanked God and those who fell because it was for them. I thought my mission was to honor them because they gave their lives for us. "

Upon his return, Omar Tabarez, the veteran of the 1962 promotion, returned with the promise that, as long as he was alive, he would continue to blow the trumpet for his fellow countrymen. "I will silence until the last day, until God says enough".