Sogamoso bids a final farewell to Captain Pirajón, killed in Ocaña explosive-drone attack

The sound of the military aircraft drowned out the grief of Captain Marco David Pirajón Montezuma's family as his coffin arrived in Sogamoso on Sunday afternoon. At 2:40 p.m., the plane landed at Alberto Lleras Camargo Airport, which also operates as a base for the Army's Unmanned Aircraft Battalion.

A military honor guard received the coffin. One uniformed officer carried the captain's photograph, while three others carried the ceremonial cushions holding his kepi, Colombia's flag, his insignia and his sword. An officer then presented the symbols, the photograph and the coffin to Pirajón's parents.

Pirajón and professional soldiers Joel Alberto Jiménez Jaramillo and Jhon Carlos Marrugo Manjarrez were killed after armed men ambushed a motorized unit outside the Trapiche military canton in Ocaña, Norte de Santander. The unit had been leaving to secure the area after an attack involving drones loaded with explosives.

Earlier, at Cúcuta's Camilo Daza Airport, soldiers honored their fallen comrades as a bugler played the solemn "Last Post." Many of the soldiers cried as the coffins, covered with the national flag, were carried to Army aircraft for transport to Boyacá, Antioquia and Cartagena, where relatives awaited them.

The family decided to bury Pirajón in Sogamoso, the city where he was born and where his parents live, rather than in nearby Tópaga, his father's family home. His father, retired Major Marco Binicio Pirajón Moreno, also served in uniform for more than 20 years. The captain's coffin was taken to the Luz y Paz funeral home, where relatives and friends were expected to gather for the wake.