THE HERO OF VILLA ELISA, History of the Lieutenant Américo Picco.
 

Américo Picco Francisco Palacios, known as Americo Picco Lieutenant, was born in the house that had their parents in the batch 24 of the then "Colonia Elisa" (compared to the current City of Villa Elisa) to eleven at night on Tuesday, January 4, 1916.
 
His mother was Ms. Amalia Palacios Picco, from Paraguay, who gave her life when she was the age of 24 years (+ 07/VIII/1955 at age 64 years) and his father was Don Juan Américo Picco Ronco; Paraguayan descendant of Italian, then automatically farmer who gave his life when he was 33 years old (+ 28/VII/1961 with 78 years of age). His grandparents from the father were: Don Celestino Constantine Picco Monti (* 11/III / 1854 +14 / I / 1936) of Italian nationality and Doña María Ronco Francesca Cavallo (05/V/1855 * +) of Italian nationality. Her maternal grandmother was Doña Consolacion Palacios, Paraguay.

He had 9 siblings, Celestina, Maria Idalina, Silvia Natividad, Rosalina, Carolina, César Vicente (Tio Nilo me), Juan Ernesto (Tio Pili), Abelardo (Tio Papacho) and Mario.
Américo Picco spent his childhood playing and helping their parents with farm work they performed working their plots of land in La Colonia Elisa.
And in times of youth and in view of the need for young men to defend the Chaco given the complicated political situation in Paraguay was going through in those years, he joined the Paraguayan army early, according to army enlistment card, number 29,427, 25 March 1933 the school joined the army as an aspiring broadcast a Radio Operator, was where he learned the craft of Radio Tech.
 
On 1 November 1933 was promoted to sergeant first.
His skill and ability to serve effectively and fully, always kept it as an example of his comrades and was always a good opinion of their superiors.

One of the magazines COMCOME (Army Communications Command) refers to our hero and rate your performance in the Chaco dispute as "FEAT OF A SOLDIER" and referred to Com 1, Sgt. Américo Picco Palacios with these expressions: "" The providential action of this brave and heroic soldier, as was the sergeant Picco Palacios, who was killed heroically in an assault against an enemy heavy machine-gun position in the early morning hours of 27 April 1935, when our troops, consisting of the detachment Lopez in an unprecedented effort, managed to leave the fence that they tended enemy forces

And so, in the second half of April 1935, our troops in the sector Ingavi, under the command of Cap. Adm. Wenceslao Lopez, had asked the comanchaca a radio technician who came to repair the set "transceivers" operating at the fort. And at that point I needed an urgent repair. Comanchaca, careful not to break and not to neglect the important link with the sector and possessed of real need to save the situation, be stripped of one of its most faithful and responsible servers of Radio components, and so has designated 1, Radio Technical Sergeant Américo Picco Palacios, to address and solve Ingavi if the problems could be presented to our unit RADIO RECEIVER. "

In fact, an example of this is that the commander José Maria Cazal, as mentioned in a book: "Battle of Ingavi"and then a transcript of his writings:
"" Upon arrival at Fort Ingavi, km "0" road Ingavi-Ravelo, were just three at most four people, among which we specify, the wife of Cap. Lopez, the radio operator of detachment, Sergeant Picco Palacios and a sick soldier, hence Ingavi Fortin, was virtually unguarded because the detachment Lopez was the heights of 20/22 miles of road from Ingavi to Ravelo. Meanwhile you receive a message to the detachment comanchaca Lopez said: "CAPTAIN LOPEZ TAKES MAJOR BOOST CAZAL. Then get another that says: "CAZAL COMMANDER IS NAMED TOP COMMAND FORCES IN THE FIELD" and Picco Sergeant duplicate copies of messages instantly and decide personally take those messages to the Cap. López. During his journey he realizes that his route or itinerary was already occupied by enemy troops undergoing numerous yard or fence because the detachment Lopez were practically the rear of the detachment.

Sergeant Picco, with the stealth of the case, extreme precautionary measures decides to find a hole through which infiltrate, managed to evade the enemy observation, crossed lines and manages to reach its goal, first makes delivery of messages, which certainly filled Satisfaction Cap. Lopez and those around him, by the news that would soon be lightened in its work and responsibility, but also concerned about the other news received from Sergeant Picco, that the enemy was already in their rear, and the difficult situation in which was, seeks to take quick action to save more of their troops.
Under these circumstances Picco Sergeant Palacios with a gesture worthy decide unambiguously presented to the Captain Lopez and offered to lead the troops in their retreat, on the road that had to practice and says, "IF YOU TRUST ME MI CAPITAN, LE ME PLEASE PROVIDE A ONE machine gun and four soldiers, that I cleared it STOW THE WAY. "
Before the watchful eye of Captain Lopez, decided to provide it with a machine gun and courageous soldiers who volunteered to accompany him to a point, virtually the decision depended on the success or failure of the rapid withdrawal operation would be carried out immediately.

Captain Lopez has also accompany the operation according to Sgt Picco, who heads the step edge, so the distance is not yet occupied, when Picco Palacios had slipped into our positions, now I was, and as the order was final to overcome any resistance, Picco Palacios with his companions strongly launches an assault to clear the resistance opposed to his forehead, so that, Picco Palacios in his bold and tenacious insistence, a few meters from a nest of machine guns, heroic drops bravely this worthy and exemplary soldier.
 
Then the detachment Lopez manages to breach the fence and continue the retreat, but with many casualties. The legacy of Sgt Picco stay in place until after he died saving the persecution of Detachment Lopez and the troops came in strengthening the position of Lieutenant Colonel Cazal that completely passed the 900 men to the Fourth Division with more than 3500 Bolivian men.

By virtue, discipline, initiative, ability, intelligence, speed of design and vision of the situation, decisiveness, team spirit, courage, fearlessness, sense of responsibility and great love of country that holds the Picco Sergeant Palacios knowing about the difficult situation in which the detachment was Lopez has made two copies of the message received from comanchaca in the first manages to evade the enemy and deliver one copy of Captain Lee and the second drops dead in the nest of machine guns with his message in his pocket that was interpreted differently by the Bolivians and were cautious in their attack and our troops are virtually stripped of the pressure he was undergoing and then fight back and beat that.
 
As a worthy example of heroism and responsibility, the need to have a model and guide, for their exemplary performance in real time and height of drama, known to be at the height of the largest and most illustrious heroes of our Country.

It should be mentioned that Sergeant Picco was promoted to Lieutenant 2nd. And by Decree No. 29,928 of 10.21.1957 amended the nomenclature of Fortin General Pando Lieutenant 2nd. Américo Picco Palacios. "
 
Due to his young age, I fail to bear children.
 
Was veiled in a small chapel that had been installed at the side of the house of their parents, compared to two large handles that are still there.
 
His remains are in an urn with the remains of their parents and relatives in a cemetery in the cemetery of Villa Elisa.
 
PICCO AMERICO FRANCISCO PALACIOS is a symbol of patriotism and masters of country, was an exemplary soldier and declared "national hero" for whom all Villa Elisa citizens feel pride and admiration.
 
The municipality of Villa Elisa, has named its main street with the name of this worthy example of VillaEliseño and Paraguay.

Picco Lieutenant stayed forever in the battlefield, but not his name ... that will be remembered forever from generation to generation, then, is written in golden letters in the pages of history and was the one who has revived the maximum sentence of our national hero, Marshal Francisco Solano Lopez, who said:
 
"WINNERS ARE NOT THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE, BUT THOSE WHO DIE FOR A NOBLE CAUSE AND BEAUTIFUL. "

SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
 
 
Professor Ms.Alma Maria del Rosario Lindstom Picco (Tia ÑECA)
Mr.Victor Manuel Valenzuela Don Pico (Tio Pachito)
Journal of the fiftieth anniversary of the Municicpalidad de Villa Elisa
Civil registration of Villa Elisa
Mr. Ceferino Segovia
COMCOME Magazine (Army Communications Command)
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 
Chief Warrant Officer Mr Altamirano
Ms. Elsa Carrillo Picco and family
 
And very sincere thanks to my family for the moral and emotional support they have given me in preparing this work.
 
 
 
 
Researched, edited, digitized and published.
 
SEBASTIAN SERGIO SEPULVEDA VENEGAS
 
Villa Elisa, Paraguay
 
September 2010