Thanks to those American Airmen in the Spanish Civil War

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), over 2,800 U.S. volunteers went to Spain to defend the democratically-elected Spanish Republic against a military uprising headed by General Francisco Franco. In a period which witnessed the ascent to power of Hitler in Germany and Mussolini in Italy, these young Americans believed their defense of the Spanish Republic (January 1937 to October 1938) to be the last chance at stemming the tide of international fascism.

The Most Successful Republican Fighter Pilots

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Image: Frank Tinker and company
Frank Tinker and company


Well-documented is the record of those Americans who served with the Abraham Lincoln and George Washington battalions, volunteers who fought alongside the British, Irish, Canadian, and other nationals comprising the Fifteenth International Brigade. Historical notice, too, has been made of the courageous U.S. men and women who worked with the American Medical Bureau as nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, and medical technicians.

Less well known, however, are the exploits of those American airmen who flew combat for the Spanish Republican Air Force against the best that Franco, Mussolini, and Hitler could send. Perhaps this oversight is due to their limited numbers, or perhaps the fact that these aviators accepted mercenary wages for their services ($1,500 per month salary and a $1,000 bounty on every Axis plane downed). It is regrettably true that a few of these pilots were unprepared for duty or acted unprofessionally while overseas, but the majority of these men acquitted themselves with distinction, and a select few outclassed their fascist adversaries in fighter aircraft over Spain.

My granfather Diego (in the pictures) was one of the Spanish pilots defending the democratically-elected Spanish Republic.


Diego Guirao, mi abuelo fue piloto republicano. Si alguien tiene informacion sobre el por favor envia la a guirao - arroba -pifx.com.

Para ver las fotos ir a: http://www.pifx.com/proyectos

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[shakespearespqr]

"that a common image of fire is wrong"

Again, now. Why? because the church itself is starting to realize that people are not stupid and they have to change their doctrines everyday...

If its not because going to hell or heaven, the only reason to be religious is the personal wellfare produced by being moral with others, or educate your children in a certain way, etc. and i ASSURE to you that you can achieve that morality withouth the need of a Church or a religion.

[shakespearespqr]

well,i will have to trust my intelligence and my common sense then...and not just the intelligence and comon sense of a priest..

I dont care if galileo was or not an atheist,im just proving to you that the majority is not necesarily right just for the numbers.

And since nobody can prove if atheism or religion are right,or even if god exists, again,we will have to rely on the logic,and the logic is clearly against relligion (well, against the church to be more precise) in my personal opinion.

[OlenkaWagner]

Talking about hell - I go to the mass every Sunday, I am not very young, so it would be many masses altogether and I don't remember any surmon when a priest was threatening with hell Once it was about hell, but in another context (that a common image of fire is wrong). But no one was threatening. Maybe in Spain priests say different things. I was in Spain, but I could not understand too much, so I don't know...

[shakespearespqr]

I hope you admit my right to try to convince a person that he/she is wrong from my point of view, as a religious person has, for instance, the right to try to convince me that abortion is inhuman, but, even if i had the power, you wont see me forbiding religions, and thats the difference, because the church is trying to ban abortion.

I would try to erase religions with arguments, peacefully, and those arguments for sure would not be AS CHEAP AS "you will burn in hell if you are religious"

[OlenkaWagner]

First of all in those times the belief was not that the Earth is flat, but that the Earth is a centre of the Universe (but they knew the Earth was round). Secondly Galileo was not an atheist. Of course it does not change the idea of the minority, but unlike with the Earth, one cannot prove in a scientific way if atheism or religion is right. Many people believed they will eradicate religion and they did not succeed.

[shakespearespqr]

Well if we had a real democracy it should not be politicians who decide, but the majority of the people.

So you are just agreeing that even some politicians are that marginated that they cannot even express their own beliefs... thats a thing catholics can for sure do.

Again, i tolerate religions, but dont agree with them. There are for instance some religions wich are clearly sexist, why should i just stay with my arms crossed (or my mouth shout).

[OlenkaWagner]

You are not a politician, so I am not really afraid that you will decide anything. But there are politicians who really want to "erase any kind of religion of the world". But they are clever enough not to say that. Instead they say about "tolerance", but they understand it very specifically. So this looks like a battle of very existence :(

[shakespearespqr]

I'm a democrat, and i have to respect what the majority says, but that does not mean the majority is right.

99% of the world was convinced that the Earth was flat back in the time, and that did not mean Galileo Galilei was wrong.

And yes, before you ask, im comparing myself to him, not because im a genious, but because i think its kind of clear what religions are, and im quite sure of where they will be in the future...

No offense, but thats my opinion, and i dont see why i should keep it.

[shakespearespqr]

Excuse me, but children are not born catholic. That catholic majority you talk about is made precisely by that education.

Im have not the power to decide anything, im just giving you my opinion. If that opinion is against your personal beliefs, that does not mean im deciding anything.

And dont get me wrong, if it was my decision i would erase any kind of religion of the world, but i have to respect people beliefs. Thats why i say there should be options.