Juan José Valle was born on March 15, 1896, in Argentina, and dedicated his life to military service. He rose through the ranks of the Argentine armed forces, ultimately becoming a respected general. His career, like many military figures of the time, was deeply intertwined with the country’s volatile political landscape, particularly under the leadership of Juan Domingo Perón.

Valle had shown loyalty to constitutional order and Perón’s presidency, serving in the armed forces during both of Perón’s terms. However, his life, and Argentina’s political climate was thrown into upheaval following the Revolución Libertadora in September 1955, when General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu led a successful coup to oust Perón.

Though Valle initially voluntarily resigned from the military, disillusioned by the regime's trajectory, he soon became a target of the new government’s anti-Peronist purges. He was detained and placed under house arrest, while the regime moved to ban the Peronist Party, reverse constitutional reforms, and incarcerate thousands of union and party members.

These events pushed Valle toward active resistance. Believing the dictatorship betrayed democratic and constitutional values, he joined others, such as Colonel Raúl Tanco, in organizing a counter-offensive.

On the night of June 9, 1956, General Juan José Valle launched a coordinated military uprising against Aramburu’s dictatorship. The rebellion was intended to ignite nationwide support, involving various garrisons and civilian allies, and sought to restore democracy and constitutional governance.

However, poor planning, lack of coordination, and the absence of Perón, then in exile in Panama, contributed to its rapid failure. The rebellion spread briefly across regions of Argentina, but resulted in only seven direct combat deaths before it was crushed within hours by government forces.

In a display of zero tolerance, the Aramburu regime swiftly captured the conspirators. Rather than pursuing lenient or negotiated justice, the government chose to make a brutal example of them.

On June 12, 1956, just three days after the failed uprising, Juan José Valle was executed by firing squad at the National Penitentiary of Buenos Aires. He was among 27 rebels executed, including both military and civilian participants, many of whom were killed without trial, in what became known as the León Suárez massacre.

The executions marked a turning point in Argentina’s post-coup political history. Never before had such mass retaliatory killings been carried out in the wake of an insurrection. These events earned Aramburu’s dictatorship the grim nickname: “La Fusiladora” (The Firing Squad Regime).

Valle’s execution, in particular, was seen by many as a martyrdom. A plaque in his honor now stands in Las Heras Park, formerly the grounds of the prison where he was killed. He was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant-General, symbolizing the restoration of his honor in Argentine memory.

The long-term impact of Valle’s death continued to reverberate through Argentine politics. In June 1970, the Montoneros, a radical Peronist guerrilla group, kidnapped and assassinated Aramburu