Wednesday 18 December, at Piazzale Bandiera of the Institute of Air Force Military Sciences (ISMA) in Florence, the ceremony for the oath of the 36 students attending the first year of the course Military Aeronautics School “G. Douhet”.
The event, chaired by Commander of the Air Force Schools / 3rd Air Region, Air Marshal Silvano Frigerio, was opened by the intervention of Commander of the Douhet School, Colonel Mauro Nazzi.
In his speech, the Commander and Headmaster of the Italian Air Force Military High School, after recalling the delicate tasks that the School carries out daily, invited the students to pursue with energy and fortitude the path within the Institute, reminding them that “To embrace the deeper meaning of the oath before the Flag means to serve the community, subordinating one's personal interests to the sense of duty and loyalty towards the Institutions and the Republic.”.
The solemn act then took place of Oath of allegiance to the Republic, sworn before the School Flag, and sealed by a fly-past of an Eurofighter formation from the 4th Wing of Grosseto.
Following this, the moment of Course Baptism who took the name Zenith and the motto “Excelsior Heaven Eternal Fire” (Higher than the sky, the eternal flame).
Sponsor of the sworn course Air Brigade General Edi Turco, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Training Command/3rd Air Region. Subsequently, a celebratory message from the Group of Gold Medals for Military Valour of Italy was read out.
The ceremony concluded with the speech of General FrigeriHe, who, addressing the cadets directly, gave them a warm welcome into the Armed Forces, which from today welcomes them and formally makes them participants in its long history, made up of great protagonists and incredible achievements.
“Loyalty, honour and discipline” - continued General Frigerio - “These are the words contained in the formula of the Oath you have sworn, words that do not constitute a mere proclamation, but which clearly and unequivocally represent the values to which each of you, as young citizens in uniform, must inspire your daily work.”.
For the Douhet School, however, today's ceremony took on an even more special significance: upon its founding in 2006, the School decided to assign each course a name evocative of astronomical references, constellations, winds, and mythological figures, following alphabetical order.
In its first 18 years of life, therefore, the Air Force Military High School has seen more than 600 cadets from the Astro, Bora, Crono, Dardo, Espero, Fides, Ghibli, Iris, Lyra, Mito, Nadir, Omega, Perseo, Rigel, Sirio, Taurus, Ursa, and Vega courses take their oath.
With the swearing-in of the Zenith Course, so, the first generation of courses to have shouted their “I swear”before the School Flag.".
From next year, these names will follow each other in an unvarying sequence and will be repeated cyclically, from generation to generation.
The Military Aviation School “Giulio Douhet” – which depends on the Institute of Air Force Military Sciences – currently houses 94 students and is an institute of Upper secondary education which carries out the courses of the second three-year period in the classical and scientific branches, which is accessed by Public competition. Humanistic and scientific training, as planned in the Educational Offer
Formative and in line with the ministerial programmes for the final three years of the Classical and Scientific Lyceums, it is supported by multiple cultural, sports and educational activities.
The purpose of the Institute is to foster balanced growth in its pupils, from a human, cultural, moral, physical, and character perspective, so that they possess the necessary skills to face the challenges of the future.
