Colonel Rosario D’Auria passes the baton to Lieutenant Colonel Luigi Barbagallo, new Commander of the Historical and Sports Centre of the Air Force in Vigna di Valle
On Thursday 26 May, at the Badoni hangar of the Military History Museum of Vigna di Valle, the Change of Command of the CSSAM (Centre of Historical and Sports Aviation of the Air Force) in Vigna of Valle between the outgoing Commander, Colonel Rosario D’Auria and the incoming one, Lieutenant Colonel Luigi Barbagallo. The event took place in the presence of the Commander of COMAER (Air Force Command Rome), General of Division Sergio Antonio Scalese and of the religious, civil and military authorities.
In his concluding speech, the Colonel D’Auria He would like to thank the higher authorities for the trust placed in him, both for the recently concluded assignment and for the one he will take on at the Air Staff. A special thanks also goes to the staff of the CSSAM for the commitment shown and the achievements achieved during his period of command, from July 2020 to May 2022, a difficult period marked by the pandemic, which however did not stop the activities of the base, all of which were geared towards Centenary of the Armed Forces of 2023: “… Changes bring with them great opportunities. A challenge I have embraced from the very first day of work here in Vigna di Valle, and which I have always interpreted with enthusiasm. enthusiasm and passion, in an attempt to Maximizing the strengths of the individual and the group, orienting everyone towards achieving shared goals. The path to follow to achieve an objective is that of acting with conviction and firmness. A path that has enabled us to devise, coordinate and launch the Project MUSAM 2023 the rationalization and enhancement of the Military Air Force Historical Museum; the renovation and revision of buildings and complexes of the air command that needed long-term interventions; the implementation of innovative management practices to improve the work performance of the staff; the achievement of important awards for our athletes competing in the Olympics and in various world and European championships. A teamwork that allowed us to “run” our portion of the relay in the most effective and efficient way“. At the conclusion of the farewell speech, a wish was made to the new Commander for the challenging journey that awaits him and his staff towards the prestigious milestone of the Centenary, with the reopening of the Historical Museum.
On their part, the Lieutenant Colonel Barbagallo, In his inaugural address to the CSSAM Command in Vigna di Valle, in addition to thanking his predecessor for the work carried out thus far and for his wise advice, he stated: “[…] it is With great emotion and immense pride, I am about to embark on To take on the duties of Commander of this historic airport. I take the baton with respect and sincere gratitude from my predecessor, well aware of the responsibilities I will have to face and the deep and constant commitment that my role will require. The appointments that lie ahead in the brief period we have, and I refer in particular to the celebrations related to the Centenary of our Armed Forces in 2023, ensure the absolute certainty that we face very significant challenges that we cannot avoid, but that rather will be a source of new opportunities, renewed enthusiasm and intense involvement […].” Then, addressing the staff of the CSSAM deployed for the ceremony: “I wish to fulfill this new important assignment entrusted to me, with humility, ready to listen to each of you, to welcome every useful suggestion, confident in your loyal and full collaboration, certain of the help of God and of the Blessed Virgin of Loreto, our Mother and Patroness.“.
Finally, the Commander of COMAER, General Scalese, After thanking Colonel D’Auria for the work carried out, the communities and local authorities for the constant and active collaboration that has always bound them to the Blue Army, he wished the Lieutenant Colonel Barbagallo, who will take over, good work. “a challenging and extremely demanding task”. Then, addressing the new Commander: “I am sure that you will be able to handle and complete this task brilliantly, thanks to your recognized qualities as an officer and the excellent team that consists of the airport staff, whom you will be able to lead with a spirit of selflessness and unconditional commitment..”
The culmination of the event was the reading of the Order of the Day that officially marked the handover of the baton.
The ancient water aerodrome “Luigi Bourlot” of Vigna di Valle is the place where the aviation activity in Italy began.: starting in 1908, the first military dirigibles took off from here, and then the hydroplanes. In the 1960s the base was refurbished and transformed into Sports Center and Center for Collecting Historical Aircraft, Which in 1977 officially became the Historical Museum.
Today The Vigna di Valle CSSAM has the task of overseeing the activities of its two entities, called upon to represent the image of the Armed Forces both at a sporting and historical-cultural level: It Sports Centre A.M. works to protect the national sports heritage and thanks to the contribution of its technical and specialized staff, it carries out a careful search for the best talents, contributing to the technical and theoretical development of sports dynamics; It Museum of History The Air Force has the task of disseminating the culture of aeronautics, the history and traditions of the Armed Forces. through a large number of initiatives, both inside and outside the base. Annually it is visited by about 50,000 people. The Museum is currently closed for refurbishment and expansion works. Reopening is scheduled for 2023, as part of the celebrations for the Centenary of the foundation of the Italian Air Force. In addition to its institutional duties, the CSSAM also provides logistical support to SICRAL (Italian System for Confidential Communications and Alarms) an important inter-agency telecommunications center, and C.T.M. – Technical Centre for Meteorology.
