The former expeditionary of the Second World War, Lieutenant Eronides João da Cruz, until then considered the only ex-combatant of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) in Curitiba (PR), died at the age of 99 on the morning of Sunday (06/02), at Hospital das Nações, in the capital of Paraná (PR).
The wake took place this Monday (07/02) at the Lutheran Chapel and then the burial at the Lutheran Cemetery of Curitiba. The soldier was born on July 3, 1922, in Aracaju (SE). Lieutenant Eronides was a widower and leaves two daughters. Of simple origin, he attended only primary school and at the age of seven he helped to the family, along with his five brothers.
In 1942, at the age of 20, he volunteered for the dream of discovering other worlds and languages. Self-taught, he was promoted to Corporal in 1945, when he began to receive training from American Sergeants to handle aircraft weapons. Between missions, he traveled through Panama, the United States and Italy, collecting learning and memories.
Eronides was Third Technical Sergeant in Armament in the First Fighter Aviation Group when it operated during World War II, ensuring the operation and adequate war loading of the P-47 Thunderbolt planes.
Homage to Veteran Eronides. In this photo, in front of a USAAF B-25, he is the second from the left to the right, following Fayete (1st), Pinto (3rd) and another still unidentified. Pisa, 1945#homage #Eronides #story #Adelphi #HuntingGroup #Step #WWII pic.twitter.com/yhDv7hptde
— Setando a Pua (@sentandoapua) February 7, 2022
In 1980, for serving with courage and manliness, he became a retired Second Lieutenant. Eronides was also curator of the Museu do Expedicionário, located in Curitiba, a space that records Brazil's participation in the Second World War (1939 to 1945), highlighting the performance of small soldiers from Paraná in the victorious campaign on European soil, and has documents, photographs, films, maps, period illustrations and military materials used by former fighters of the FEB, FAB and the Brazilian Navy.
With FAB
