Mara Virginia Schmid, a scientist at the Argentine Antarctic Institute and First Sergeant Franco Paolo Ormaechea of the Argentine Army, met in 2014 at Esperanza Base (WAP ARG-Ø4).
They had a civil marriage in 2017 and, this year, returned to the white continent as members of the 2026th Crew at the Base, each fulfilling their professional duties, along with their daughters, Alma and Luna.
In this context, they decided to celebrate their religious union in the same place where their story began.
The ceremony took place in the San Francisco de Asís Antarctic Chapel and was officiated by military chaplain Father Gabriel Muñoz, as part of the third stage of the Antarctic Summer Campaign.
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Esperanza Base (WAP ARG-Ø4), under the operational control of the Joint Antarctic Command—part of the Argentine Armed Forces continues to be a site of permanent presence, operational activity, and stories that transcend the professional sphere.
Amidst the ongoing activity, with deployed resources and logistical tasks, the ceremony was experienced as a unique moment, a pause charged with emotion in the midst of the campaign’s dynamics.
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Since 1978, when Civil Registry No. 2,506 was established at Esperanza and the first families began to settle there with the construction of Fort Sargento Cabral, a year-round civilian settlement, the Base has been the setting for celebrations that are part of Argentine Antarctic history.
Today, that history adds a new chapter.
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Thanks and Credit: Comando Conjunto Antártico | Argentina.gob.ar