{"id":214464,"date":"2026-04-02T21:55:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-emotional-story-of-a-former-combatant-who-went-to-the-malvinas-with-his-dog-the-bond-is-eternal-he-must-have-been-waiting-for-me\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T21:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:55:26","slug":"the-emotional-story-of-a-former-combatant-who-went-to-the-malvinas-with-his-dog-the-bond-is-eternal-he-must-have-been-waiting-for-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/the-emotional-story-of-a-former-combatant-who-went-to-the-malvinas-with-his-dog-the-bond-is-eternal-he-must-have-been-waiting-for-me\/","title":{"rendered":"The Emotional Story of a Former Combatant Who Went to the Malvinas with His Dog: \u201cThe Bond is Eternal; He Must Have Been Waiting for Me\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VETERANO DE MALVINAS: POSGUERRA, P\u00c9RDIDAS y APRENDER a RECONSTRUIRSE\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EwlkDmuUYL8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Jos\u00e9 Cruz: A Journey Back to the Malvinas<\/h2>\n<p><b>&#8220;He&#8217;s alive, he arrives tomorrow.&#8221;<\/b> These were the hopeful words of Rub\u00e9n Cruz, assuring his wife that their son, Jos\u00e9 Cruz, would return from the uncertainties of war. Jos\u00e9, at just 21 years old, was drafted into military service on April 2, 1982, and soon found himself on the Malvinas Islands, forever changing his life and that of his family.<\/p>\n<h2>The Dogs of War<\/h2>\n<p>When Jos\u00e9 arrived, it became apparent that he would not be alone; he was among the members of the <b>Perros de Guerra<\/b> section, tasked to select 18 service dogs for deployment. <b>&#8220;My dog was one of the best prepared,&#8221;<\/b> he recalls, reflecting on the pivotal moment when he had to make a life-altering decision.<\/p>\n<p>Many veterans later discussed their opportunities to choose whether to go into combat. Jos\u00e9&#8217;s choice wasn&#8217;t one he took lightly: <b>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t hesitate. It took me 28 years to start talking about the Malvinas.&#8221;<\/b> His experiences, laden with emotional consequences, shaped not only who he was but how he viewed his duty.<\/p>\n<h3>Emotional Bonds with Four-Legged Soldiers<\/h3>\n<p>During the grueling days on the Malvinas, Jos\u00e9 noted how both soldiers and dogs suffered from cold and hunger: <b>&#8220;Our dogs ate frozen meat, and if the sun didn\u2019t come out, they didn&#8217;t have anything.&#8221;<\/b> Their bond was profound; he described how, when rations ran low, he shared his own food with his dog. <b>&#8220;Half of my ration was for my dog,&#8221;<\/b> he said with emotion.<\/p>\n<p>Jos\u00e9 expressed pride in the dogs\u2019 contributions, stating, <b>&#8220;They are four-legged soldiers&#8221;<\/b>, recognizing their sacrifices alongside his own. His dog returned from the retreat but was the only one that had a grave. <b>&#8220;The bond is eternal,&#8221;<\/b> he asserts poignantly, a testament to the connection forged in both hardship and companionship.<\/p>\n<h2>Confronting the Aftermath: Return and Recovery<\/h2>\n<p>Returning to the warm embrace of family was bittersweet. One cherished memory remains when Jos\u00e9 approached the Punta Alta post office to communicate with his father during a tumultuous time. <b>&#8220;My heart wanted to come out of my mouth,&#8221;<\/b> he recalls, describing how the dread of not knowing turned into gratitude. His father\u2019s words, <b>&#8216;Thank God, I&#8217;ll be waiting for him tomorrow&#8217;<\/b>, encapsulated a sense of relief and hope.<\/p>\n<h3>Healing from War\u2019s Wounds<\/h3>\n<p>However, the emotional scars were deep. <b>&#8220;I came back broken, empty,&#8221;<\/b> he admitted, reflecting on the personal relationships affected by his experiences. Over the years, rebuilding relationships with his daughters and former partner became vital: <b>&#8220;I had to apologize a thousand times,&#8221;<\/b> he stated, emphasizing the importance of addressing emotional turmoil.<\/p>\n<p>After years of therapy, Jos\u00e9 found a renewed sense of purpose. <b>&#8220;Rebuilding from great misery is possible,&#8221;<\/b> he emphasizes, hoping to share his message with future generations.<\/p>\n<h2>Symbols and Lessons<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most poignant symbols of his service is a flag he found during the war. <b>\u201cA flag is not abandoned, it is always someone\u2019s responsibility,\u201d<\/b> he reflects, drawing parallels to life\u2019s responsibilities. This flag represents the memories and lessons learned amidst the chaos of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Jos\u00e9 Cruz carries his story into classrooms, teaching values and encouraging youth to overcome their own battles. <b>&#8220;We have all suffered battles,&#8221;<\/b> he declares, aiming to inspire resilience and understanding every April 2 on the anniversary of the conflict.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jos\u00e9 Cruz: A Journey Back to the Malvinas &#8220;He&#8217;s alive, he arrives tomorrow.&#8221; These were the hopeful words of Rub\u00e9n Cruz, assuring his wife that their son, Jos\u00e9 Cruz, would return from the uncertainties of war. Jos\u00e9, at just 21 years old, was drafted into military service on April 2, 1982, and soon found himself [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":214465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[26713,50779,313,820,5660,50777,47989,50778,11301,802],"class_list":["post-214464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mazagine","tag-bond","tag-combatant","tag-dog","tag-emotional","tag-eternal","tag-jose-cruz","tag-malvinas","tag-malvinas-ex-combatant","tag-story","tag-waiting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214464"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214466,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214464\/revisions\/214466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}