Entrevista Nº 116: Comodoro (R) VGM Daniel Gálvez - Grupo 5 de Caza

This time, I interview Commodore (Ret.) Daniel “Chango” Gálvez, a member of Fighter Group 5, belonging to the V Air Brigade, based in Villa Mercedes, San Luis. In 1982, at 25 years old, he was a Lieutenant and served as a pilot of the A-4B weapon system, holding the position of Wingman and Assistant to the Operations Chief of Squadron I. Daniel will tell us about his experiences and the five combat missions he flew during his deployment to the Río Gallegos Air Base. One detail is that he had become a father just three days before his deployment. The pilots lived in a wooden bungalow on the base, which they called "the little Bariloche house," and there the loss of comrades was starkly evident: every so often, in the mornings, a bed would be found empty. On the May 1st mission, they had to return after being intercepted by a Sea Harrier Combat Air Patrol (CAP), as they did again on May 21st when they failed to locate their targets in the San Carlos Strait. He participated in the May 25th mission where Captain Palaver was killed and the May 27th mission where they attacked ships in the strait. Finally, he took part in the attack on Fitz Roy on June 8th, where, along with Ensign Gómez, he attacked the logistics ship RFA Sir Tristram (L3505). The ship was hit in the stern by two of the three Mk-82 bombs dropped by Lieutenant Gálvez (Ensign Gómez's bombs landed a short distance from the ship), rendering it unserviceable. Lieutenant Daniel Gálvez was awarded the "Argentine Nation Medal for Valor in Combat." I hope you enjoy it!