Meet the Argentinian Team
Our team consists of seven Falklands veterans from various units.
Photo by Mark Brightwell
Ricardo Ezequiel Gonzales
Ricardo Ezequiel González was born in the province of Buenos Aires and graduated as a corporal in the Infantry in December 1977. In April 1982, he was deployed to the Falkland Islands as part of the 12th Infantry Regiment (RI 12), stationed at Darwin and Goose Green. For 35 days, they held a defensive position 300 meters from the town. On May 27, 28, and 29, they fought, repelling the British attack. On the 29th, at noon, the Task Force Commander surrendered. They were taken prisoner that same day and handed over to the Red Cross in Montevideo, Uruguay, on June 13, 1982.
After the war, Ricardo returned to his post at the Infantry School in Campo de Mayo, where he completed the Special Parachute Jumps Course. In 1985, he was assigned to RIM 16 in Uspallata, Mendoza, where he specialized in mountaineering as a mountain and ski instructor. He climbed many peaks in Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, including Aconcagua, Pico Plata, Nevado Sájama in Bolivia, and Nevado Juncal in Chile, among many others. He retired from the Army in December 2012 with the rank of Sergeant Major in the Infantry.
Ricardo lives with his family in Uspallata and has continued climbing Aconcagua with his children. His family includes his wife, Susana, his children Nadia, Natacha, and Ezequiel, and he has five grandchildren. Currently, he works as a lawyer and as a high-altitude mountain guide.
Horacio Nuñez
Horacio was born in Ituzaingo, Corrientes, in the countryside, one of eight siblings. His father was a fence builder by trade, and when he didn't have work, he hunted caimans, otters, foxes, and curiyu snakes. After finishing primary school, Horacio worked building fences until he was 16, then became a carpenter. Despite having a job, Horacio chose to pursue a naval career with little knowledge of the sea, much less the Marines. Despite his mother's opposition, he entered the ESIM (School of Non-Commissioned Officers of the Marines) then joined the ARA Marine Corps NCO School in 1976. He participated in the armed conflict with Chile over the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego, serving as leader of a rifle group belonging to the 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM3). In 1982, while taking the Amphibious Commando course at the APCA (Argentine Amphibious Commando Academy), Horacio participated in Operation Rosario, the recapture of the Falkland Islands. The landing from the ARA Santísima Trinidad in Zodiac inflatable boats reached the beaches at night, followed by a night march to attack and capture the Moody Brooks barracks. Later, he went to the Governor's residence to support Captain Giachino's group, who lost his life in combat. With their reinforcements, they forced the Governor's surrender and took the British soldiers prisoner, who were sent to England that same day, on 2 April. From there, he was assigned to the Río Gallegos base until the end of the war. They made two attempts to return to the islands to launch a counterattack, both of which were aborted.
Later, Horacio served as a soldier for the United Nations. He served twice in Cyprus and once in Haiti and retired from active duty in 2011 with the rank of Chief Petty Officer of the Marine Corps. He is married to Ana Maria.
Julio Peñalba
I am Julio César Peñalba, born on January 26, 1963, in Belén de Escobar, Buenos Aires Province. At 18 years old, while fulfilling my mandatory military service, on 5 February 1982, I was assigned as an Army soldier to the Combat Engineer Company.
With the recapture of the islands on 2 April 1982, the 601st Combat Engineer Company was formed from our unit and other attached elements. It was deployed to the Falklands on 12 April 1982, with the following tasks: laying minefields, deploying booby traps, demolishing bridges and roads, and providing combat support to the infantry.
Extensive areas of the island were mined. Our company carried out the demolition of the bridge at Fitz Roy, and then Air Force planes attacked and sank HMS Sir Tristram and HMS Sir Galahad, an event that became known as "the darkest day for the British Fleet." During the night of 13 June, when the attack on Mount Tumbledown began, and we were not too far away, we were ordered to be on alert. A "Prepare your weapons and say the Lord's Prayer, we're on the front line, we have to give the '5' (BIM 5) a hand" confirmed what was to come.
There were six of us on that rise, but within minutes we were about twenty soldiers, searching for the best positions among the rocks. It all happened very quickly, and when it began, the chaos of war relentlessly enveloped the atmosphere. A group led by Corporal Villarreal was sent to the lower slopes to prevent any infiltration. Dawn was breaking, and three Panhards arrived to provide fire support (wheeled armored personnel carriers). They positioned themselves in front of us and began firing. While changing positions, returning to the higher ground, the shockwave from a mortar or artillery shell (it no longer matters which) sent me flying, injuring me and leaving me stunned. They helped me reach some rocks to reposition ourselves, where Lieutenant Blanco, Sergeant Romero, and Corporal Condori were located. After a while, our defense became untenable, given the disparity in weaponry and manpower. Thus, we were taken prisoner on 14 June, around 11:00 AM, according to my comrades (I didn't have a watch). We remained in that condition for six days, until 20 June, when we were put back on the icebreaker Almirante Irizar, anchored just outside the bay.
During our entire time on the islands, enduring bombardments and everything else expected of war, we defended our flag with honor, forging a camaraderie with the other now war veterans that extended far beyond those days.
Upon my return, I was able to resume my studies at the University of Buenos Aires, earning a degree in Public Accounting. I worked first as a teacher, and then at Banco Santander, where I retired after 30 years of service as a Branch Manager.
I started a family with my wife, Mirta, and we had three children: Rodrigo, Florencia, and Mariano. They are my most precious treasure.
"We, the War Veterans, have earned the right to live the rest of our lives with the utmost dignity and in peace with our inner selves."
Ameri Jose Luis
José Luis Ameri was born in the city of Formosa, Formosa Province. At 18, he was drafted into the 3rd Artillery Group in Monte Casero, Corrientes. In 1982, he served as a gunner for the 105mm cannons during the Falklands War, under the command of First Lieutenant Héctor Tessey. His role was to fire in infantry combat on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters until the ceasefire on 14 June 1982. Upon returning to the mainland, he worked repairing vehicle wheels. He then joined the army as a non-commissioned officer and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He enjoys sports, particularly cycling and soccer. He is married and has four children and seven grandchildren. Every day he gives thanks for being alive and that the war did not defeat him.
Ricardo Vicente Pannunzio was born on June 9, 1962, in Caseros, Buenos Aires, Argentina. At 18, in 1982, he had to do his mandatory military service in the Argentine Navy where he was assigned to the Marines. During that year, the Falklands War broke out. The battalion was transported to the area by air. Ricardo belonged to the 5th Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 5) which was deployed on Sapper Hill. The battalion suffered intense bombardment from aircraft and naval vessels and, from 10 to 14 June, they were bombarded by field artillery, fighting on different fronts. The Marine Company remained until the battalion's withdrawal. On the afternoon of 14 June, they descended the mountain where the ceasefire was declared. After 15 days as prisoners of war, they returned to the mainland.
Ten years later, Ricardo met his wife Susana, who is with him to this day, and they lived and worked in London for ten years. After returning to Argentina, they started their beautiful family, made up of their two daughters, Florencia and Camila, and their three pets. They live in a country house, about 50 km from the capital, Buenos Aires, and lead a quiet life dedicated to sports. Ricardo has tried various disciplines such as full contact, boxing, marathons, cycling, swimming, and triathlons, and has completed seven Ironman triathlons. He now takes part in trail running and is ready for this new challenge on Aconcagua 2026.
Ricardo Vicente Pannunzio
Omar Godoy
Omar Ruben Godoy was born in La Calera, Córdoba, on 4 January 1960. After turning 16, he entered the Argentine Air Force NCO School in Córdoba. He was assigned to the Security and Defense specialty and completed the Military Parachutist Course at the 4th Airborne Regiment in Córdoba. Upon graduation, his first assignment was to the Gobernador Gregores Santa Cruz Aerodrome, where an air base was to be built due to the conflict with Chile. Very soon after he was transferred to the Mar del Plata Military Air Base, and, later that year, a message was posted inviting people to enrol in a Parachutist Course in Morón, headquarters of the VII Air Brigade. He enrolled and was accepted, only to discover that it wasn't a course at all, but rather the very creation of the Special Operations Group.
The first year began with countless training sessions, including parachuting, diving, explosives, and marksmanship. In August 1980, Omar was assigned, along with eight other members of the group, to take the Commando Course in the Argentine Army. On 22 March 1982, their Commanding Officer assigned them to organize a new exercise and on the afternoon of 2 April they boarded a Hercules bound for the Argentine Falkland Islands. Their mission was to arrive, carry out a combat mission called an "Air Assault," and recover and consolidate the airport's security so that the "air bridge between the mainland and the islands" could be established. They were expected to return to their unit around 6 July.
With the arrival of the Force's helicopters, they began different patrols to carry out reconnaissance flights, exploration, and to silence the islanders' communication equipment across both islands. All of this was done in separate working groups because they also systematically addressed the Security and Defense of the installations, the assignment of artillery positions and the location of troops. They attended to the arrival of the aircraft, which were marked for landings, and they unloaded and loaded the planes. Planes only came at night amidst naval bombardments. Operations were carried out entirely in darkness: arrival, unloading, loading, and takeoff of the Hercules. Around 20 May, when the Army Commandos arrived, 12 members of the Group were summoned to carry out joint missions with the Commando Company. Omar and his group participated in infiltrations behind enemy lines, reconnaissance, and communications with the Information and Control Centre for all British troop movements. There were many days of hunger, fear, hard work, and uncertainty, but they were happy to carry out Commando missions until 7 June. Omar returned to airport security where there were only 7 soldiers carrying out security work, attending to the endless arrivals and departures of the Hercules aircraft, enduring air and naval attacks day and night until the fateful day of 14 June when they learned of the ceasefire. That night, the entire group was transferred to a barracks in the port where they spent the night, and the next day, aboard a British Chinook, they were taken to Ajax Bay, where they stayed until 10 July. On 14 July they were handed over in Puerto Madrin.
Years later, in 1987, Omar became the Mendoza Province athletics champion in the 21km and 42km races. He also began participating in duathlons and triathlons. In the Argentine Air Force (FAA), he was a member of the athletics and military pentathlon teams from 1980 until 2007. He is married with two children and four grandchildren.
Fernando Transito Ramon Torres
A veteran of the Falklands War, Fernando served as a member of the 601st Combat Engineer Company, creating defenses by mining the areas around Port Stanley (Puerto Argentino) in anticipation of a possible landing, and participating in the protection and demolition of the Fitz Roy Bridge. He possesses special skills as a military paratrooper, a military diving instructor, a commando troop instructor, a United Nations operational techniques instructor, and a private pilot of single-engine aircraft.
Fernando is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. He served as a technical assistant at the Argentine Embassy in Paris, France, and also as a military attaché at the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He was responsible for personnel at the United Nations General Staff in Cyprus. He speaks English, French, basic Arabic, and Russian. He is a mountaineer, having climbed Aconcagua and Denali in Alaska, USA, three times, as well as various mountains in Argentina. He also practices martial arts and is learning languages.
Support Team
Adrian Augusto Pereira
Adrián Augusto Pereira is 40 years old and a digital creator. He is the son of Juan Bautista Pereira, defender of Sapper Hill during the Falklands War, who passed away after the war. He has always collaborated, uniting the children of war veterans from different provinces, helping them integrate into their communities through various cultural and educational activities. He is the creator of documentaries about the life stories of war survivors, showcasing their resilience. He is married and is an active organizer of the "SUMMIT FOR PEACE, Aconcagua 2026" project.
Marcos Basavilbaso
Marcos Antonio Basavilbaso is a retired professional nurse from the public health sector in hospitals in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, with over 30 years of experience working with war veterans. He was able to understand their profound pain, their silence about the war, their refusal to speak of it, not even with their families. They suffered from Da Costa syndrome, or "soldier's heart." In the 19th and early 20th centuries, these symptoms were believed to be a purely physical problem. Marcos observed that their inner healing began with reconnecting with their brothers in arms, recovering the memories that had haunted them for years. Their pain stemmed from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the war, according to medical academies. Marcos was able to contact Will Kevans, who proposed reunions between Argentine and British veterans. These reunions served as a form of therapy to alleviate the pain, and this occurred in both groups of combatants. This time without war, without weapons, both groups will meet again on Aconcagua in 2026, for peace, to show the world that wars destroy lives and that the leaders of all countries must seek peace.
Oscar Alberto Barrios
Oscar Alberto Barrios is a war veteran of the Argentine Army, 601 Commando Company, and is the President of ACUVEMA (Cuyo Association of Malvinas Veterans), Mendoza Province, Argentina.
The association addresses the physical, health, cultural, and educational needs of all war veterans, as well as the families of those who died in the conflict. Its members come from all three branches of the Armed Forces: Army, Navy, and Air Force, including officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel. During the conflict, Oscar served in the 10th Armored Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron and was in charge of the 2nd Reconnaissance Section in the Malvinas. He is married and has a daughter, María Luisa, and three grandchildren. He actively collaborates with various institutions in Mendoza.
Sybille Butzmann
Sybille is a certified mountain guide / UIMLA. Even as a child, Sybille loved climbing mountains. Later, she turned her hobby into her profession and was fortunate enough to experience mountaineering in various countries. Her favourite destinations are in the Alps and the Argentinian Andes. Her motivation: everything is easier with a strong partner. Her tip: tours in less-traveled areas, preferably just with a backpack, and experiencing new things. This diversity and the ability to go on a tour with "open eyes" are important to Sybille. Her favourite moments: "when the sun sets and when it rises again is always a very special moment in the mountains".
Victor Herrera
Víctor Herrera is the founder of Mallku Expediciones and a certified High Mountain Guide (Registration No. 0011) with the EPGAMT (Provincial School of High Mountain and Trekking Guides). He was also co-founder and president of the Mendoza Andean Rescue Group, a founding member of the Mendoza Association of Professional High Mountain and Trekking Guides, and a founding member of the Aconcagua Service Providers Association.
Victor is certified for helicopter mountain rescue and has participated in numerous search and rescue operations on Aconcagua since 1989. He has climbed Aconcagua approximately 20 times via various routes, most notably achieving the world's first solo ascent in a single day via the Polish Glacier. He has also completed climbs of varying technical difficulty in the Andes Mountains, the Himalayas (Nepal), and the Karakoram Range (Pakistan). He was part of the "Argentinians to the Himalayas" Expedition in homage to the first Argentine expedition to ascend Dhaulagiri (8,167 m above sea level), achieving the summit on 14 May 2004.
Juan Gualberto Vallejos
During the Falklands War, Juan held the rank of Paratrooper Sergeant of Infantry, belonging to Company A, 2nd Section of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment ‘General Belgrano’. He fought on 13 and 14 June 1982 in the Battle of Wireless Ridge against the British 2nd Parachute Battalion. The mission was to reinforce the positions of the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was defending the hill or heights of Wireless Ridge. Juan never received any orders from his Section Leader meaning he was acting independently. He went to the front to give his life for his country. His section (the 2nd) remained in the rearguard awaiting orders. During the heat of battle on the freezing night of 13 June between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, and about 30 metres from the English troops, a projectile pierced the centre of his right knee, severing his femoral artery and causing an open fracture of the tibia. A tourniquet was applied by Sergeant Ramirez, then he lost consciousness, abandoned by his comrades who believed he had died in the battle. Hours later, his own troops picked him up after dragging him about 500 metres, taking him to a first aid station. Juan was 25 years old at the time. His limb was amputated twenty days later, on 3 July due to a wound infection (early stages of septicemia).
After the war, Juan started a family, met his current wife Sonia, and his daughter made him a grandfather with his granddaughter Helen Isabella Ponce Vallejos. He lives in the city of Corrientes, the provincial capital.