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On October 21, the armed forces, led by the commanders of the army and air
force academies and by Major Roberto Gálvez, the son of the former president,
ousted Lozano Díaz and set up a military junta to rule the country.
This coup marked a turning point in Honduran history. For the first time, the
armed forces had acted as an institution rather than as the instrument of a
political party or of an individual leader. The new rulers represented younger,
more nationalistic, and reform-minded elements in the military. They were
products of the increased professionalization of the 1940s and 1950s. Most had
received some training by United States military advisers, either in Honduras or
abroad. For decades to come, the military would act as the final arbiter of
Honduran politics...
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