The Ceremony for the conclusion of the NCO Formation Course and the Sergeant Training Program took place on Monday (June 20th), in Guaratinguetá (SP)
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB), as of this Monday (06/20), will have 389 new military specialists in its ranks. The Third Sergeants will be distributed among the Military Organizations (OMs) throughout Brazil, in order to fulfill their missions in the most distinct areas of operation. They have graduated from the Aeronautical Specialists School (EEAR), located in Guaratinguetá (SP), an institution that is considered to be the largest technical-military education complex in South America.
The Ceremony for the conclusion of the sergeants course (CFS) – Gripen Class and the adaptation period for sergeants (EAGS) – Millennium Class was presided over by the Commander of the Brazilian Air Force, Lieutenant Brigadier Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior, and was attended by General Officers of the Aeronautical High Command, as well as other civilian and military authorities and family members of the graduates.
EEAR is intended to train and improve Air Force Graduates. When addressing the graduates, the Commander stressed that the day is special not only for the young people, but for FAB, which receives the new military personnel.
“Dear Gripen and Millennium Graduates, as you leave this School, now as FAB sergeants, you will cross the same gates that you entered here, now ready for a new and exciting stage that is beginning in your lives, a journey filled not only with challenges, but also with many unforgettable accomplishments. Pursue your goals with the same strength, dedication, and honesty of purpose that got you here. Have the conviction that you have received in these historic barns the tools and the knowledge that are essential to the diligent performance of your duties, and reflect on the responsibility of keeping the Air Force strong and operational, as bequeathed to you by the valorous specialists who have passed through here. Keep the basic principles of hierarchy and discipline as a guide for your attitudes, trust the experience and wisdom of your elders, and always lead by example,” said the General Officer.
For the Commander of EEAR, Air Brigadier Antonio Marcos Godoy Soares Mioni Rodrigues, who was a student at the Specialists School, the moment is one of joy and feeling of mission accomplished with each graduating class. “It is really a great honor to participate in this moment of formation of these Sergeants and we do everything here to deliver the best professionals for our Force,” he said.
Gripen and Millennium Class Highlights
Electronics Specialist Sergeant Pedro Mendes da Silva Junior won first place in the EAGS. The military man said that this is the realization of happiness for being able to serve the country. “Being first in the course reveals my love and dedication to the profession. I thank God, family, friends, and the Specialist School for making this dream come true,” he emphasized.
The now Air Traffic Control Specialist Sergeant, Ingrid Kelle da Silva Vidal, was the first place in the 254th CFS class. For her, to have become military and Aeronautical Specialists is a reason for immeasurable achievement. “I had the honor of finishing the course as first place, something that was beyond what I could have imagined. I am grateful to God for putting the right people in my path to get here, from my family and friends to the instructors, sergeants and commander,” she said.
For their achievements, the military received the Brazilian Air Force Award, given to the graduate who gets the first place in the general classification of the Air Force Officers’ and Sergeants’ Training Courses. They also received the Ministry of Defense Merit Award. There was also the awarding of the “Eduardo Gomes Medal – Application and Study”, which is intended to encourage application in studies and instruction, and to reward and highlight the intellectual merit of Officers and enlisted personnel of the Air Force Command, who distinguish themselves in school activities, by placing first in one of the following courses: EEAR: Officers’ Training Course, Sergeants’ Graduation Adaptation Course or Internship, Sergeants’ Improvement Course, and the Advanced Studies Course for Graduates.
Tributes
The Gripen and Millennium Graduates chose as Patron the Second Lieutenant Armament Specialist, Eronides João da Cruz, who died in February of this year, at the age of 99, in Curitiba (PR). He joined FAB when he was 20 years old, to serve for two years in the First Aviation Regiment, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). In 1942, four months before the end of his military service, Brazil declared war on the Axis and he volunteered to join the ranks of the Air Force in Italy. The Chief of Staff of the General Staff Command, Air Major Valdir Eduardo Tuckumantel Codinhoto, who commanded EEAR from 2018 to 2020, was chosen as the class commander.
At the end of the ceremony, the Smoke Squadron performed a presentation to the graduates and their families, with special maneuvers, in honor of the completion of the course and internship.
Photos: Sergeant Müller Marin / CECOMSAER *** English Version by DEFCONPress Team ***