The ceremony was presided over by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force. Warrants Officers Velardi and Buttaglieri, the two Non-Commissioned Officers belonging to the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, fell in Bosnia in September 1992 following the shooting down of their aircraft while they were engaged in a humanitarian mission,“
Through steadfast ethical, moral, and human virtues, consolidated flying qualities and unquestioned professional abilities, values pursued to the ultimate sacrifice, they represent in memory the ideal figure of a Non-Commissioned Officer to be held up as an example to future Marshals of the Armed Force. The loftiest sense of duty and the humanitarian spirit that shone through their deeds make them a symbol and an example for future generations“, as stated in the ministerial decree establishing the new name of the Viterbo school. The ceremony took place in the presence of the Commander of Schools and the 3rd Air Region, Air Squad General Mario Renzo Ottone, and was presided over by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General Pasquale Preziosa. The ceremony was also attended by the relatives of Gold Medals for Military Valour (MOVM) Velardi and Buttaglieri, who handed over the photos and Gold Medals of their loved ones to the School Commander, Colonel Coppola, receiving in return a framed copy of the text of the naming decree. The relatives themselves then unveiled the commemorative plaque together with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In his speech, Colonel Coppola highlighted how the two Gold Medals represent a unique example, “
the example of courageous airmen who have embodied the benchmark ideals of every military personnel, such as competence, ethics and passion, at every moment of their profession as airmen and during their lives as men of the State, within the State“.“
They were soldiers dedicated to supporting suffering civilians,declared the Chief of Defence while remembering Warrant Officers Velardi and Buttaglieri.“
Their mission – continued General Preziosa –
It is the mission that the Constitution assigns to the Armed Forces. They were not heroes; Italy is not the sad country imagined by Brecht that has need of heroes. We need men, and the men of the Lyra 34 crew were men with a capital M.“.
General Preziosa also noted how the Italian Air Force is currently undergoing transformation. “
Let's dance on the frontier of technology” – concluded the Chief of Staff of the Air Force –
“[...] but without the human component technology would just be a box of metal and microchips“On 3 September 1992, a G-222 aircraft of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, the “
Lyra 34″ which was carrying humanitarian aid destined for the besieged population of Sarajevo, was shot down on Mount Zec, about 40 kilometres west of the Bosnian capital, by two surface-to-air missiles.
Following the shoot-down, all the crew members lost their lives: Lieutenant Colonel Marco Betti, Lieutenant Marco Rigliaco, Warrant Officer Giuseppe Buttiglieri and Warrant Officer Giuliano Velardi, to whom, that same year, the President of the Republic posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour.
The “Lyra 34” was engaged in UN operations to aid the besieged Bosnian population, as part of an intense activity of transporting food and medical supplies. The mission, in fact, was part of a humanitarian airlift, in which the Italian Air Force actively participated with the aircraft of the 46th Air Brigade, which transported a total of 34,600 tonnes of food, medicine and other essential goods to Sarajevo, which were then redistributed to around 800,000 people in 110 locations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. The citation for the Gold Medal for Military Valour awarded by the President of the Republic to Marshal Giuliano Velardi:
Highly competent, capable and experienced loadmaster of G. 222 aircraft, he distinguished himself for his courage and supreme sense of duty, taking part in numerous humanitarian flights over the territory of the former Yugoslavia in aid of the local populations who were victims of armed conflict. Fully aware of the high and constant risk associated with every flight mission, due to the uncontrolled danger of possible attacks by one of the warring factions in the war-torn territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, he continued to carry out his duties, always giving priority to the humanitarian objective. During his final mission, he lost his life following the shoot-down of the aircraft which, as it was preparing to land at Sarajevo, was hit by two missiles treacherously launched from the ground. Innocent victim of human barbarity and a shining example of altruism carried to the point of supreme sacrifice. Skies of Konjic (BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA), 3 September 1992. The citation for the Gold Medal of Military Valour awarded by the President of the Republic to Marshal Giuseppe Buttaglieri:
Highly competent, capable and experienced G.222 flight engineer, he distinguished himself for his courage and very high sense of duty, taking part in numerous humanitarian flights over the territory of the former Yugoslavia in aid of the local populations who were victims of armed conflict. Despite being fully aware of the high and constant risk associated with every flight mission, due to the uncontrolled danger of possible attacks by one of the warring factions in the war-torn territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, he continued to carry out his duties, always giving priority to the humanitarian objective. During his final mission, he lost his life following the shoot-down of the aircraft which, as it was preparing to land at Sarajevo, was hit by two missiles treacherously launched from the ground. An innocent victim of human barbarism and a shining example of altruism carried to the point of supreme sacrifice. Skies of Konjic (BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA), 3 September 1992.
