Spain's National Day (Día de la Hispanidad) is celebrated on 12 October. With the advent of democracy in Spain, 12 October, a date that commemorates the discovery of America by Cristobal Colon in 1492, became the National Day of Spain.

12 October 1492 marks the emergence of a large Spanish speaking community of more than 350 million people who share language, values, and traditions.

In 2003, we were fortunate enough to be in Madrid on 12 October. Photos in this section show military preparations for the holiday parade and the activities at the beginning of the parade.

Special thanks to Peregrin Pascual of Madrid and Javier Hueso, both were great resources. Some of the narrative belongs to Peregrin Pascual. They both helped identify the uniforms and equipment in this section.

 

Air Force Cadets waiting for the parade.