Colombian military in Egypt?

Gator says on Jul 23, 2007, 08:41:

Colombian infantry troops participated in the First United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF I) operation from November 16, 1956 to May 31, 1958, in the Gaza Strip. General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla´s government (1953-1957) agreed to send Colombian troops to the region, under the insignia of the United Nations and formed the Colombia Battalion No.2 in which many of the men who had been in Colombia Battalion No. 1 in Korea took part.

"The Colombian forces, under the command of Colonel Cesar Cabrera, left Bogotá on November 10, 1956 … The troops arrived at last in Egypt on November 16th together with the Secretary General of the UN. The Colombia Battallion was assigned patrol duty in the Khan Yunia zone of the Gaza Strip. In the last week of October, 1958 the battalion left for Colombia, after almost two years of tedious service. The total number of troops participating in the action was 490 officers and soldiers".

Korea:
Colombia sent a military contingent and a frigate to Korea and thus became the only Latin American country to participate militarily in this episode which marked one of the critical points of the Cold War. President Laureano Gómez who had taken office on August 7, 1950, offered to send the Frigate "Admiral Padilla" in September of that same year. Decree 3230 issued on October 23, 1950 authorized the participation of the Colombian contingent. In November, Ambassador Eduardo Zuleta Angel offered the services of an infantry battalion of one thousand men and eighty three officers. "About mid February, 1951, Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez, then Laureano Gómez´s Minister of War, reported that Colombia was training a battalion of one thousand eighty three men for the conflict and declared that if the United Nations so wished, Colombia could train an entire division and equip them with arms purchased in the United States. On May 12th a farewell mass and ceremony was held in Bogotá´s Bolivar Plaza for the troops leaving that day to Korea. The Colombian Battalion ended its combat duty in July, 1953 and on November 25,1954 the last Colombian contingent returned".

That one Colombian infantry battalion and one frigate consisted of,1,068 personnel and suffered 140 dead and 452 wounded, a casualty rate of 55%. The Colombian army is very proud of this venture and has a lot of exhibits of the time in Korea at Museo Militar (Military Museum) in La Candelaria. Worth a visit.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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kalder says on Jul 23, 2007, 09:00:

Many thanks for that.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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bufalo says on Jul 23, 2007, 11:03:

I forget all the details, but Colombia has or is part of some sort of military base in Israel too.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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juancegomez says on Jul 23, 2007, 11:10:

bufalo: It's actually part of a wider multinational presence in the Sinai Peninsula.

http://www.ejercito.mil.co/?idcategoria=74084

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Robert Jorge says on Jul 23, 2007, 22:07:

Thanks for that info Gator. Great post.

He who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

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ACBlessing says on Jul 24, 2007, 04:15:

I met a few Colombians when I was in Iraq and Kuwait in the military then later for KBR. You can't go anywhere in the world an not bump into one of them. At least they're cool.

Just plain poor

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