Officers in service and retired from four generations gathered at the Institute of Air Force Military Sciences.
The participants then took a guided tour of ISMA, where they were able to admire the masterpieces of Italian Rationalism from the 1930s, before visiting Palazzo Vecchio in the afternoon.
During the visit, Engineer Pachera wished to donate to the Institute's Library a one-of-a-kind volume that summarises the history of the “Zodiaco” courses.
The “Zodiac” courses, in fact, have often been the protagonists of significant events in the history of the Air Force and the country. The first course, enrolled in 1941, experienced the drama of the Second World War, splitting between the Republicans and forces loyal to the King. “Zodiac II”, on the other hand, was one of the first courses that inaugurated the new headquarters of the Air Force Academy in Pozzuoli in 1961, enrolling for the first time in the history of the Armed Force the Air Force Engineer Corps. “Zodiac III”, in turn, witnessed the catastrophe that struck the land of Campania on 23 November 1980 with the devastating Irpinia earthquake. It was precisely by virtue of the aid provided to the populations affected by the event that the Head of State adorned the Air Force Academy Flag with the Bronze Medal for Civil Merit. “Zodiac III”, moreover, was also the first course in history to be sent to the ENJJPT (Euro NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training) at Sheppard in Texas and had the first military pilot to fly the EF-2000 aircraft. The latest generation of the course, finally, besides having the characteristic of being the last entirely composed of men only and having enrolled for the first time in the history of the Air Force Academy the Air Force Commissariat Corps, lived the transition between centuries, participating in the Holy Year declared on the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000.
The reunion, in the wake of these memories and emotions, united all participants with the motto of the course: “I will strike the stars”.
