A Casualty Both of War and the Spanish Economy
MOLLET DE VALLÈS, Spain — Belly Meneses Díaz and John Felipe Romero Moreno have a special shelf in their living room. It holds a Spanish flag, war medals and a polished wooden box with the ashes of their youngest son. He was 21 when he was killed in northern Afghanistan earlier this year.
In the larger history of the Afghan war, the death of John Felipe Romero Meneses may be a footnote, but it is a poignant one. Like many soldiers in the Spanish Army — and a number of its casualties — Mr. Romero Meneses was a Colombian immigrant who joined the army after 2002, when Spain opened its armed forces to noncitizens.
In a country where memories of the 1936 Spanish Civil War and the 40-year dictatorship of Franco are still fresh, Mr. Romero Meneses’ story raises complex questions about patriotism and citizenship. But the soldier was not only a casualty of war. He was also a victim of the economic crisis who, with his parents, left a turbulent country to seek a better life in Spain and wound up joining the army because he could not find a job....
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In the larger history of the Afghan war, the death of John Felipe Romero Meneses may be a footnote, but it is a poignant one. Like many soldiers in the Spanish Army — and a number of its casualties — Mr. Romero Meneses was a Colombian immigrant who joined the army after 2002, when Spain opened its armed forces to noncitizens.
In a country where memories of the 1936 Spanish Civil War and the 40-year dictatorship of Franco are still fresh, Mr. Romero Meneses’ story raises complex questions about patriotism and citizenship. But the soldier was not only a casualty of war. He was also a victim of the economic crisis who, with his parents, left a turbulent country to seek a better life in Spain and wound up joining the army because he could not find a job....