On Tuesday 3 November, as part of the ceremony, General S.A. Pollice presented the decorations to his personnel who distinguished themselves for valor and merit. At the ceremony, presided over by the Commander of the Air Force, General of the Air Force Carmine Pollice, took part the Commander of the Forces for Mobility and Support, General of the Air Brigade Vincenzo Parma, the Commander of the 1st Air Brigade, General of the Air Brigade Roberto Lamanna, the Commanders of the units belonging to the Brigade, the Vice President of the National Association of Rescued from Prison and Imprisonment, Avv. Edeo De Vincentiis, the representatives of the Combatant and Armed Associations and the management staff of the CSA.
The War Flag of the 1st Air Brigade, a symbol of the history and achievements of the Department, was received at the ceremony by the Flags of the affiliated Departments (9th Grazzanise Wing, 16th Martina Franca ‘Protection of Forces’ Wing and 17th Furbara ‘Incorruptors’ Wing). This was done pursuant to a decree signed by the Minister of Defense, as part of the project to restructure the Armed Forces, for the restructuring and relocation of the 1st Air Brigade from Padua to Rome on October 31st.
The new configuration provides for a logistical and operational structure to remain in Padua, which will absorb a large part of the personnel employed there and, at the same time, brings the Special Forces Command closer to the higher military authorities, in the context of rationalization based on a reduction in resources and a continuous evolution of the Defense sector.
General Lamanna saluted – during his speech – the authorities present and all the personnel present at the ceremony, emphasizing that “with today’s ceremony, the Brigade closes a very important chapter in its contribution to the stabilization of the Central European area, after decades of activity at the historic headquarters in Padua, as a great Unit of Missile Interceptors Guided by Telecommunications. But times change and, within the framework of the various measures aimed at reorganizing the Defense sector, the Brigade has since July 1, 2007 added the designation of ‘Special Operations’, with a radical transformation of its mission that has seen the Department confront issues such as the fight against terrorism and the constant and active commitment in operations outside the area.” The Commander of the CSA subsequently took the floor, emphasizing in his speech how “the grave economic crisis currently underway makes the need for our Armed Forces to prioritize quality over quantity even more pressing. And it is precisely quality that we wanted to focus on in this ceremony. We have just celebrated the arrival of the 1st Air Brigade ‘Special Operations’ at this historic military airport and we heard the words with which General Lamanna wanted to remind those present of the qualities of his Department and the importance of the mission assigned. Well, to reinforce this concept, soon, some of our colleagues will be awarded important rewards for Aeronautic Valor and Merit, conferred for exceptional professional skills, extreme expertise, courage and altruism demonstrated in the activities carried out in the difficult international contexts... Their model must not remain an unattainable goal, but must represent a certain and achievable goal because these actions were carried out by men like us, with their families and the daily difficulties they face, who, with seriousness and dedication, face their work every day... But this event, with the awarding of the Maurizian medals, also sets a further significant goal: to give the right and deserved recognition to all those who, throughout their entire military career, have served the Aeronautica Militare with passion, professionalism, quietly and day after day. It is therefore right that the Air Force should also pay the due attention to this personnel that it deserves, in order to publicly recognize its qualities’.
The ceremony then continued with the presentation of prestigious honors to employees who, in the course of their duties, distinguished themselves for merit, achievement, or a commendable and continuous career of service to the country. In particular, the ceremony was marked by the presentation of the following decorations:
-The Bronze Medal for Aviation Valor, awarded by the President of the Republic, was presented to the flight crew of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa – composed of Captain Nicola Ferrario, Captain Giovanni Chitti, Lieutenant Gianluca Viturro, 1st Marshal Oberdan Castagna, 1st Marshal Francesco Tosi, 1st Marshal Paolo Santi – who, during an operational mission in Iraqi territory (near Baghdad) conducted in 2004 with a C-130J aircraft, courageously confronted a sudden attack by enemy forces, avoiding the hits of the counter-artillery and completing the assigned mission;
-The ‘Targa Icaro’, a meritorious award bestowed on a rotating basis to personnel of the Armed Forces in recognition of particularly meritorious activities and actions and of human solidarity, was awarded to two flight crews of the 46th Air Brigade – Major Andrea Cosmacini, Lieutenant Stefano Savoia, Lieutenant Sandro Oberoi, 1st Marshal Lieutenant Giovanni Della Corte, 1st Marshal Lieutenant Raffaele Pascali, 1st Marshal Lieutenant Tommaso Esposito (first crew) and Lieutenant Colonel Fausto Braghieri, Lieutenant Denis Canaccini, 1st Marshal Lieutenant Antonio Giordano, 1st Marshal Luogotenente Corrado Mundo, 1st Marshal Alessandro Pecene, Marshal Class 1 Marco Panzironi (second crew) – for having conducted in Lebanon, in 2006, several particularly delicate evacuation missions in favor of our compatriots and civilians belonging to the European Union. It was then presented to Colonel Marco Nardini, Commander of the Center for Geotopographic Aeronautical Information (CIGA) in Pratica di Mare (Rome), an honorific NATO medal for meritorious service within the international organization.
The ceremony finally concluded with the presentation of the ‘Maurizio Medal for Merit for ten years of military career’ to approximately 70 officers and non-commissioned officers from all over the country, currently serving in the departments of the CSA and retired, who have accumulated the required seniority and periods of command as stipulated by the law.
