Carlos Lamarca

Carlos Lamarca was born on October 23, 1937, in Rio de Janeiro to a modest working-class family. Entering the Agulhas Negras Military Academy, Lamarca emerged as one of the Brazilian Army's most brilliant officers, serving in the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Gaza in 1962 and winning consecutive national army marksmanship championships.

Following the 1964 Brazilian military coup and the draconian Institutional Act No. 5 (AI-5) in 1968, which eliminated constitutional rights and instituted torture, Lamarca made the fateful decision to resist. In January 1969, Captain Lamarca defected from the 4th Infantry Regiment in Quitaúna, taking 63 FAL rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition to join the clandestine VPR (Vanguarda Popular Revolucionária).

Alongside Carlos Marighella, Lamarca became the most wanted resistance commander in South America. He organized guerrilla training camps in the Ribeira Valley, escaped massive military encirclements, and commanded major operations including the kidnapping of the Swiss Ambassador in 1970 to secure the release of 70 political prisoners. Tracked down to the Bahia hinterlands, Lamarca was executed by security forces on September 17, 1971. In 2007, Brazil's Amnesty Commission officially reinstated his military rank and posthumously recognized his resistance against tyranny.