NATO bombing raids against Yugoslavia and the role of Americans in making
all decisions
Translated from Spanish to English by: Jelena Karovic
From the Spanish weekly "Articulo 20" (Article 20, the
constitutional provision on the freedom of speech), No. 30, of June 14, 1999,
about the NATO bombing raids against Yugoslavia and the role of Americans in
making all decisions.
The Spanish pilots of fighter planes admit that NATO attacks civilian
targets.
The pilots of Spanish planes who participated in bombing raids against
Yugoslavia do not feel like "supermen" nor as masters of air space.
Quite on the contrary, they say that our forces play to the tune of music
played by the North Americans, and accuse NATO of having honored with medals
the bombing of civilian targets, what they otherwise name "collateral
damages". Jose Luis Morales
Captain Adolfo Luis Martin de la Hoz, who returned to Spain end of May after
having participated in the bombings since the beginning, an "authentic
expert for the dreadful F-18", the war plane most often used in the war
strategy of "scorched land" in the Balkans, is very categorical:
"First of all, I want to make it clear that the majority, I say the
majority, of my colleagues, even if not all, are against the war in general and
against this war of barbarity in particular." Martin de la Hoz says that
he and his colleagues "are burnt out". "Since a few days ago
there appeared in the papers certain statements of the commander Maches
Michavilla, who is now in the air base at Aviano with the pilots who replaced
us, in which he said that our worst enemy in the air was our mental and
physical health.
But I tell you that our worst enemies are our own authorities, the Defense
Minister and his whole team, the members of the Government, who know nothing
about war and go along with it without informing themselves about anything and,
what is gravest, are guilty of lying to the Spanish people through the papers,
radio and television, foreign correspondents and press agencies."
The suspicions that NATO's repeated bombings of civilian victims and
non-military targets are not the result of war "errors", are
confirmed by Captain Martin de la Hoz: "Several times our Colonel
protested to NATO commanders why they select targets which are not military
targets. They threw him out with curses saying that we should know that the
North Americans will lodge a complaint by the Spanish Army, once through
Brussels and again by the Defence Minister. But there is more, and I want to
tell it to the whole world: once there was a coded order of the North American
military that we should drop anti-personnel bombs over the localities of
Prishtina and Nish. The colonel refused it altogether and, a couple of days
later, the transfer order came. But what I say now is nothing compared to what
I shall have to say when the time comes."
The Spanish military denounces that "the Spanish Government not only
does not try to inform themselves but they also accept the false reports that
are edited for them in Aviano, where there is a sort of military press cabinet
in the hands of North American generals and function aries. Ever since we
arrived in Italy - the Captain goes on - there is no end to humiliations and
insults. The order givers are only the North American generals, and no one
else. We are zeroes, just as our replacements are going to be. But there is
still more to that. Here they say that several operations were directed by
Spanish commanders and pilots. Lies over lies. All the missions that we flew,
all and each one, were planned by US high military authorities. Even more, they
were all planned in detail, including attacking planes, targets and type of
ammunition that we have to throw.
We never directed anything, and our missions were limited to flying over the
borders of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Slovakia."
Government's lies
None of the pilots presently stationed at Aviano, who replaced those who
went to the Italian base a little before the start of war, last March 23, were
there with clean conscience, says the Spanish military. "It is being
written to saturation that the disciplined and patriotic Spanish pilots
according to Minister Eduardo Serra - are concentrating on the complexity of
their war missions". But we read so many discrepancies, so many lies that
we agreed to not read a single newspaper until we return. Our anger is
enormous.
The President of the Government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the
Defense Minister are lying brazenly each time they talk about the war. Some of
us are of another opinion and believe they do not inform themselves, because
the North Americans - the White House, the Pentagon, the CIA, the Embassy or
military information service, whoever, do not inform them about anything. How
should they inform themselves if our own Javier Solana has not informed himself
since the war broke out? Solana is a puppet who has been put there by the
Yankees to do what they tell him he has to do. And so he does, standing
straight before General Clark when he talks to him, or better said, when he
issues him the orders that he has to implement without delay."
On the subject of manipulation of information about the war, Captain de la
Hoz says that "no one has said anything about the incidents that took
place in Aviano, about the disastrous maintenance of Spanish machinery, and
above all about the constant humiliations to which we were subjected from the
beginning. Not that we were cannon food. No. We were nothing. About the fatal
accidents, the losses suffered without connection to combat, the contempt and
sanctions, not a word. From no one!"
For the wrong selection of targets and humiliations the Spanish militaries
are ever more certain that there is no alibi. "We know perfectly well that
we are intervening in a conflict - says Martin de la Hoz - which is rejected by
the majority of the Spanish people and this is most important for us. But what
they do not say in any information, commentary or speech, is that the Spanish,
Dutch, Portuguese ... that we are there to cover up the North American generals
who are dealing and wheeling in the war. There is no journalist who has the
slightest idea what is happening in Yugoslavia.
They are destroying the country, bombing it with novel weapons, toxic nerve
gases, surface mines dropped with parachute, bombs containing uranium, black
napalm, sterilization chemicals, sprayings to poison the crops and weapons of
which even we still do not know anything. The North Americans are committing
one of the biggest barbarities that can be committed against humanity. A lot of
very bad things will be told in the future about what was happening there,
because, by the way, judging by what we talked about with the British and
German officers, it was designed in order to divide the Europeans and keep us
subjected for many decades.
Therefore, Captain Martin de la Hoz is enraged when there are talks about
the costs of the war. There should be no doubt, he confirms that the militaries
detached in Aviano are receiving bonuses which are "five times our
salary", without counting daily expenses and other prerequisites.
We could say that we should be satisfied with what this war means
economically for each one of us, but it is not true, what they give us is the
chocolate for the parrots. This war is going to cost the Spaniards more than
all money allocated for culture in the last five years. And how, even if now no
one says anything because of the elections, it will be evident in a few months
and will be felt in our pockets. Because this brutal solely Yankees' war, no
one's but Yankees', is going to be paid by all of us. Be sure that what I say
is not to exculpate myself and to intone 'mea culpa' for having participated in
it, because I will never be able to forget that what was being committed there
was one the biggest savageries of history."
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