Today is the 1st of March, and it's a national holiday in Paraguay. It's the National Day of Heroes. I want to share with you all a bit about this holiday and why it's a big deal. I'll keep it short, but if anyone wants to read more, here is
the wikipedia page.
Today we celebrate the end of the Triple Alliance War, a war where Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay joined as allies and attacked Paraguay. To this day, the history lessons in Brazilian and Argentinian schools are different from the ones we teach and the ones that many scholars and historians have uncovered and published. They teach an embellished one that paints them as liberators, not a genocidal conquerors. I still wonder if Brazilians teach in schools about the Battle of Acosta Ñu, a battle where the Brazilians had to face children who were disguised as adults with fake beards painted on their faces and wielding sticks and old weapons. This battle took place on the 16th of August, and so Children's day is celebrated on the 16th of August in Paraguay to honor the children who died fighting for their nation.
The war lasted 5 years, and after the war Paraguay's casualties due to the war reached 90% of it's population. Only 150.000 thousand people survived, out of which only 28.000 we men, most kids or elders. The population ratio was of 4 women per every 1 man. The country was devastated, and the allies robbed everything the country had, forced the remaining population to pay for they war expenses, and Paraguay lost 40% of it's territory to Argentina and Brazil. Argentina and Brazil originally intended to eliminate Paraguay completely, a fact that they agreed on in the Secret Treatise of the Triple Alliance, a document they signed before the war started. The only reason why Paraguay still exists is because Rutherford B Hayes, an American President, told Argentina to stop advancing on the Chaco territory, and that if Argentina kept annexing Paraguayan land the US would declare war on them. This is why out largest Department (State) is called "Presidente Hayes".
Paraguay is a small nation, but one that has too much spirit. Ours is a land of warriors, and a land that has had to pull itself by its bootstraps and rebuild itself from the brink of total annihilation by itself. Our national motto is "Victory or Death". As cheesy as it may sound, this phrase is engraved on the ceremonial blade every officer of the armed forces receives upon promotion. When the Brazilian army had our President during the war, Mariscal Lopez, surrounded and wounded they said that if he surrendered he would be allowed to live. His reply was "I die with my nation" and so was killed in a last stance in Cerro Cora.
I wanted to give a brief summary of the war, but I can't. There's too much to say, too many emotions involved (counting rage and indignation) so I ended up rambling. Read about the war. It's a damn interesting and a chapter of modern history not well known outside of South America.
Victory or Death.
. I agree Link's throws have low damage bad followup options and his grab is laggy. The reach nerf sucks; I keep undershooting thinking it has Brawl's reach. Other characters have grab reach nerfs too; I noticed Sheik's reach is very small (but she has a fast dash) and Charizard's reach is considerably shorter than in Brawl.
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