President Santiago Peña awarded Paraguay's highest military decoration to former president Juan Carlos Wasmosy and two former commanders of the Armed Forces. The Order of Merit of the Military Forces Command "Gen. Div. Bernardino Caballero," in the rank of Grand Cross, was presented during the ceremony for the 33rd anniversary of the Military Forces Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In addition to Wasmosy, who was also commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces during his term (1993-1998), retired Vice Admiral Eduardo González Petit and retired General Silvio Rafael Noguera Ramírez were decorated. González Petit was one of the leaders of the February 1989 military coup that overthrew the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, while Noguera was the military chief during the April 1996 political crisis.
In his speech, Peña highlighted the historical role of the Armed Forces in consolidating Paraguay's democracy, describing the institution as a guarantor of institutional integrity and respect for the Constitution. He stated that the government will continue to invest in the modernization of the Armed Forces with new equipment, technologies, and training programs.
Wasmosy thanked the honor and recalled key moments of his administration, including the return of the Chaco War trophies to Bolivia in 1994, which symbolized the exercise of military command by a civilian president. He also evoked the 1996 crisis, when the then-Army commander, Lino Oviedo, challenged his authority, and praised the officers who chose to respect the law and support presidential authority.