Alberto Ruiz Novoa (born in Bucaramanga on January 3, 1917 - died in Bogotá on January 14, 2017) was a Colombian military officer and politician. As an infantry officer, he served as Minister of War during the administration of Guillermo León Valencia.

Biography

Alberto was born in

Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 68 ...

on January 3, 1917, the son of Pedro Ruiz and Elena María Novoa. He married Gloria Espinosa González and they were the parents of Claudia Jimena Gloria, Javier Alberto, and Sergio Andrés Ruiz Espinosa. In June 1951, as commander of the Infantry School in Usaquén, the Commander of the National Army, Colonel Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, appointed him to replace Lieutenant Colonel Jaime Polanía Puyo at the head of the

Colombian Battalion The Colombian Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Colombian Army that served under United Nations Command during the Korean War from 1951 to 1954. The first Colombian military unit to serve in Asia, the battalion was attached to the U.S. 7 ...

in Korea as a member of the UN Multinational Force that participated in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. In March 1953, after surviving an attack by the Chinese army during the Battle of Hill 180, then-Lieutenant Colonel Ruiz-Novoa received the American

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for rescuing a patrol near the 38th parallel on January 24 of that same year. The medal was awarded in a ceremony at the front line by American General Arthur G. Trudeau. Ruiz-Novoa criticized the US Army for sending all its reinforcements to the

Battle of Pork Chop Hill The Battle of Pork Chop Hill, known as Battle of Seokhyeon-dong Northern Hill ( zh, 石峴洞北山戰鬥) in China, comprises a pair of related Korean War infantry battles during April and July 1953. These were fought while the United Nations ...

, leaving the

abandoned, which fought until it ran out of ammunition and lost 20% of its forces. In March 1958, he was promoted to Brigadier General, and on December 14, 1960, he was appointed Commander of the

National Army of Colombia The National Army of Colombia ( es, Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, an ...

. In June 1961, he was promoted to Major General, and on August 7, 1962, he was appointed Minister of War.

Awards

* 24 June 1953 * 24 January 1953

Politics

He was appointed Minister of War by President

Guillermo León Valencia Guillermo León Valencia Muñoz (27 April 1909 – 4 November 1971) was a Colombian politician, lawyer and diplomat who served as the 21st President of Colombia from 1962 to 1966. Personal life Valencia was born in Popayán, Cauca on April 27 ...

from 1962 to 1965. During his time in the Ministry of War, Ruiz-Novoa created a command of 7,500 men specially trained to infiltrate the civilian population and carry out psychological warfare operations. In an interview, Ruiz-Novoa said that the army was using propaganda and "psychological warfare techniques to teach the population to love the armed forces and to see the armed forces as a solution to their everyday problems." In 1964, under the direction of Ruiz-Novoa, the armed forces carried out an offensive against the Republic of Marquetalia with the help of the United States. This operation cost 30 million dollars and used counter-insurgency techniques, psychological warfare, and civil action. During the National Front, he was one of the promoters of Plan Lazo or Laso, designed to combat Pedro Antonio Marín Marín alias "Manuel Marulanda Vélez" or Tirofijo and Luis Alberto Morantes alias "Jacobo Arenas," founders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). On January 27, 1965, General Ruiz was removed from his position by President Guillermo León Valencia.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Colombian military personnel