Geoffrey Cardozo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Geoffrey Cardozo
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| Born | 3 March 1950 |
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British Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards |
Geoffrey Cardozo was born on March 3, 1950. He is a former British Army Colonel. He is well-known for his important work in helping to identify the bodies of Argentine soldiers. These soldiers were buried in the Argentine Military Cemetery in the Falkland Islands.
After the Falklands War, many Argentine soldiers had graves marked "Argentine soldier only known to God." This was because their government did not help identify them. Colonel Cardozo played a key role in changing this. He was part of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards in the Army.
In November 2020, Geoffrey Cardozo was nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. He was nominated alongside Julio Aro, an Argentine veteran from the Falklands War. They worked together to use DNA to identify the soldiers' remains. Cardozo is the son of Frederick Cardozo, a British soldier and veteran of the SOE. He also served as Secretary of Veterans Aid.
Helping at Darwin Cemetery
After the Falklands War, Geoffrey Cardozo went to the islands. He is an expert in PTSD, which helps people deal with very stressful events. He also speaks Spanish. His job was to support soldiers and check on their spirits.
As military engineers cleared the island of landmines, they often found bodies. Cardozo would fly by helicopter to these spots. He would record where the bodies were found and then bury them.
Later, Cardozo was given a special task. He had to find and bury all the Argentine soldiers' remains scattered across the island. He also had to create a cemetery for them. A farmer named Brooke Hardcastle donated the land for this cemetery.
To do this big job, Cardozo went back to London. He put together a team of twelve men to help him in the Falklands. They returned to the islands and began the burial work in January 1983.
Cardozo found between 230 and 246 bodies. For those he could identify, he placed a gravestone with their personal details. For 122 soldiers, he could not identify them at the time. Cardozo decided to bury them very carefully. He included any personal items found with them. He hoped this would help identify them later.
He wrapped the remains in three layers: sheets, plastic, and PVC bags. He also included a note saying where each soldier had been found. The remains were then placed in wooden coffins. The burials finished on February 19, 1983. This was about ten months after the war ended. He worked with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to build the cemetery.
Afterward, Cardozo wrote a report about his work. He sent it to the Red Cross. They then sent it to the British Government, who shared it with Argentina. However, the families of the Argentine soldiers were not told about this important document for a long time.
Identifying the Soldiers
In 2018, an Argentine war veteran named Julio Aro visited the Darwin Cemetery. He then traveled to London to find British veterans. He wanted to gather information about the unidentified soldiers. There, he met Geoffrey Cardozo, who helped him as a translator.
Cardozo gave Aro a copy of his reports. These reports showed where the bodies were located in the cemetery. This information was very important for using DNA to identify the Argentine veterans' remains in 2017.
Soon, a big effort began to identify the remains. Julio Aro started the No Me Olvides (Don't Forget Me) foundation. Cardozo and journalist Gabriela Cociffi joined him. Even Roger Waters, a famous musician, helped. He used a meeting with Argentina's president at the time, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, to push for the search.
However, not much progress happened under the Kirchner governments. They did not discuss the matter with the British government. A major breakthrough came with the government of Mauricio Macri. They signed the Foradori/Duncan agreement, which allowed the identification work to move forward.
Awards and Recognition
In 1984, Queen Elizabeth II made Cardozo a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This is a special honor.
In 2009, the Senate of Argentina gave him a Mention of Honor. In 2018, the Argentine Embassy in London honored him. Julio Aro, Gabriela Cociffi, and Roger Waters were also recognized at this event.
In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II gave him an even higher honor. She made him a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This was for his great work in improving relations between the UK and Argentina.
See also
