The moving tribute paid by the Canary Islands Command to the 12 paratrooper legionnaires who fell in Maspalomas between 1965 and 1979 is a highly significant event that transcends mere military commemoration. Held near the Maspalomas Lighthouse, the province's main economic and tourist center, the event becomes an institutional declaration of the need to maintain support for and preserve the memory of defense operations in the region.
The tribute, organized by the Canary Islands Paratrooper Veterans Association and attended by civil and military authorities, served to solidify the history of military operations and training exercises in the collective consciousness of Gran Canaria. The deaths of figures such as Captain Juan Castillo Fernaud and Sergeants Manuel Perona Bauxet and Francisco González Calvo, among others, during training exercises, underscore the inherent risk of defending and monitoring the southern Atlantic flank.
During that period, Maspalomas witnessed the tragic end of Corporal Juan Núñez Teruel and the deaths of the legionary knights Juan Pérez Pérez, Luis Almendral Cármenes, Ramón Carrasco Moreno, Maximiliano Martín Iglesias, José María Martín Caro, Antonio Álvarez Santos, Antonio García Ortiz and Alejandro Jiménez Luján.
For the Canary Islands Command, this act of remembrance not only honors the fallen, but also serves to reaffirm the Armed Forces' historic commitment to security and assistance in the islands. By linking service and sacrifice to a key landmark like Maspalomas, the institution is perceived as an integral part of the heritage and civic life, and not merely as an operational or logistical burden. The participation of widows and family members transformed the tribute into an event deeply rooted in the local community of southern Gran Canaria.
