José Pérez Caldas

José Pérez Caldas
2th Commander-in-Chief of
the Uruguayan Air Force
In office
March 6, 1970 – March 5, 1974
PresidentJorge Pacheco Areco
Juan María Bordaberry
Preceded byDanilo E. Sena
Succeeded byDante Paladini
Ambassador of Uruguay to the United States
In office
November 26, 1974 – 1980
PresidentJuan María Bordaberry
Preceded byHéctor Luisi
Succeeded byJorge Pacheco Areco
Personal details
BornOctober 30, 1917
Melo, Uruguay
Died(2004-06-14)June 14, 2004
EducationMilitary School of Aeronautics
Military service
Allegiance Uruguayan Air Force
Branch/service
Years of service1940 – 1974
RankBrigadier General
CommandsUruguayan Air Force General Command
AwardsMedal of Aeronautical Merit

José Pérez Caldas (October 30, 1917 — June 14, 2004) was a Uruguayan Brigadier General who served as the second Commander-in-Chief of the Uruguayan Air Force between March 1970 and March 1974.[1] In February 1973, he opposed the appointment of retired Uruguayan General Antonio Francese to occupy the position of Minister of National Defense by President Juan María Bordaberry. As a result, he began to ignore the orders of the political power, within the context of the institutional crisis that led to the 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état.[2]

Early life

Caldas studied primary and secondary education in Melo, Cerro Largo Department. Upon completing his studies, he entered the Military School of the Uruguayan Army, graduating as Alférez (Ensign) of Infantry in 1940. Then, in 1941, he received his military wings.[3]

Military career

In March 1970 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Uruguayan Air Force, succeeding Brigadier Danilo E. Sena, who was the first Commander of the Uruguayan Air Force, after this maximum position of Commander-in-Chief in the Air Force was renamed from General Inspector of the Uruguayan Air Force.

On September 9, 1971, Caldas was instructed by President Jorge Pacheco Areco, to conduct, along with the Uruguayan Army and Navy, anti-guerrilla operations against the Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros urban guerrilla.

In March 1974 he retired from the Air Force, and on November 26, 1974, he was appointed as Ambassador of Uruguay to the governments of the United States and Canada.[4][5]

Flight Information

Rating: Command Pilot

Aircraft Flown: DH.82, T-6D, C-47A, B-25J

References

  1. ^ "INSPECTORES GENERALES Y COMANDANTES EN JEFE DESDE LA CREACIÓN DE LA FUERZA AÉREA URUGUAYA". 2007-06-06. Archived from the original on 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2022-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ Maruri, Juan. Historia de la Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya (in Spanish). Vol. 1. pp. 299–300. ISBN 978-9974-96-255-2.
  3. ^ "OBSERVATORIO CONO SUR DE DEFENSA Y FUERZAS ARMADAS. INFORME SEMANAL URUGUAY N°150" (PDF). September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Political". 2007-06-26. Archived from the original on 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2023-02-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "U.S. Department of State Archive".