An intense weekend of memories for the former members of the ONFA and the 14th Radar Group A.M. who gathered at the facilities of the School of Foreign Languages of the Italian Air Force in Loreto and Potenza Picena. The former students of the ONFA, accompanied by their families, gathered in Loreto, welcomed by the Commander of the SLEAM, Colonel Angelo Balestrino, as a historical venue where the meritorious moral organization, from 1930 to the eighties, carried out its “direct” assistance activities in favor of the orphans of the aviators. The approximately 80 participants recalled those moments when, as young students, nicknamed “Baracchini” by the local community, they attended the Institute of Loreto, dedicated to the hero of the air Francesco Baracca. After the annual assembly, the laying of an Orb of Honor at the monument to the Fallen on the Bandiera square, the gatherers attended the Mass at the Basilica of Loreto. Finally, the visit to Villa Bonci was suggestive: this historic 19th-century residence within the SLEAM complex was once owned by tenor Alessandro Bonci, and later became the initial nucleus of ONFA and is now used as an exhibition space.
On Sunday, June 24, the “Bracco Day” took place at the logistics facilities of the former 14th GRAM in Potenza Picena, which has been under the jurisdiction of the Reparto di Loreto since 2000 following the new configuration of the Group in the current 114th Remota Radar Squadron.
During the “Bracco day”, which was attended by about 300 people, some of whom were still in service, Colonel Balestrino and the Mayor of Potenza Picena, Engineer Sergio Paolucci, intervened. Intense moments were experienced during the ceremony of the Alzabandierae and the Holy Mass celebrated by Monsignor Alessandro Perotti, former Vicar General of the Military Ordinariate and Military Chaplain in the pastoral area at the time of the 14th GRAM.
SLEAM, which is part of the Command of Schools A.M./3rd R.A. in Bari, primarily addresses the linguistic training needs of personnel in the Air Force in the specific field of Aviation English, and to some extent in the Army, Navy, Carabinieri and State Forestry Corps. In addition to English language courses, Italian courses are also provided for foreign military personnel and annual assessments of language proficiency through a standard N.A.T.O. test (Joint Forces Language Test – J.F.L.T.), which is required for military personnel to operate in their foreign duty stations.
