Bernardino Parada

Bernardino Parada Moreno (23 July 1908 – 6 March 1968) was a Chilean Army general who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army from 4 June 1964 to 4 July 1967. He later served as Chilean ambassador to Paraguay from 1966 until his death in 1968.

Military career

Parada graduated from the Bernardo O'Higgins Military Academy in 1927 as an artillery second lieutenant. As a junior officer, he served at the Artillery School and in the "Chorrillos", "Maturana" and "Arica" regiments. He attended the Army War Academy between 1936 and 1939, graduating first in his General Staff course.

He served as an instructor at the Army War Academy during several periods, amounting to more than eight years of teaching military history and strategy. He also served on the Army General Staff and as military attaché in La Paz, Bolivia, between 1951 and 1952. In 1953, as a senior officer, he commanded the 5th Motorized Artillery Regiment "Antofagasta". In 1954, he served at Army headquarters and later became secretary to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In 1957, he was promoted to brigadier general and served as deputy chief of the National Defence General Staff. He also taught land operational command for the High Command Course at the National Defence Academy. In 1959, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the 5th Division and commander of the Austral Military Region.

Parada subsequently became director of Army Instruction and was promoted to divisional general. In that position, he introduced changes to the Army's training and instruction system under a program known as the "Nueva Modalidad de Instrucción".

On 4 June 1964, Parada became Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, a position he held until 4 July 1967, when he retired from active service. During his tenure, the Army established the commando specialty and the Parachute and Special Forces School. The school was later named after Parada by order of Army commander Sergio Castillo Aránguiz.

Parada was the author of Polemología básica, a work dealing with the fundamental aspects of the study of warfare, military strategy and military history.

Later life and death

Following his retirement from the Army, Parada was appointed Chilean ambassador plenipotentiary to Paraguay. He died in Asunción on 6 March 1968 while serving in the diplomatic post.

Parada was married to Chita Urrutia Cuadrado. They had two sons, Bernardino, an architect, and Hernán, a graphic designer who settled in Paris in 1973.