During the ceremony, honours were also presented to civilian personnel. The recipients of the Mauriziana Medal, 11 Non-Commissioned Officers belonging to the Graziani, of whom 5 are currently serving and 6 are retired, and the recipients belonging to the civilian Defence personnel serving at the Wing, received the honour from Colonel Romeo.
Colonel Romeo, on the sidelines of the event, highlighted the value of the honour conferred, an important testament that the Blue Wing [Italian Air Force] gives, with particular attention, to all those who have pursued an exemplary career through dedication to duty and self-sacrifice, proving to possess professional and human capabilities of a high calibre.
The “Mauriziana Medal for ten lustres of military merit” was instituted by Royal Letters Patent of 19 July 1839, and with Royal Decree of 21 December 1924, the consolidated text of the rules and provisions for its award was approved. In particular, Law no. 203 of 7 May 1954 changed the designation from “Mauriziana Medal for ten lustres of military merit” to the current “Mauriziana Medal for ten lustres of military career,” establishing new rules for the conferral of the decoration, on the proposal of the Minister of Defence and by Decree of the President of the Republic. The extension of the possibility of award to Non-Commissioned Officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force was established by Law no. 1327 of 8 November 1956 and subsequent amendments, which also defined the current evaluation criteria.
For approximately sixty years, the Pontine Flying School has been selecting and training future pilots for the Air Force, other Armed Forces, State Armed Corps, and several foreign countries.
