The newly-commissioned Italian officers stood out for their value and commitment among their colleagues from Germany and the United States of America. Eight officers from the “Grifo V” course, Lieutenants Dario D.N., Giacomo M., Cristina R., Alessandro S., and Riccardo S., undergoing training at Sheppard, Lieutenants Simone A., Salvatore C., undergoing training at Columbus, and Lieutenant Alberto B., undergoing training at Laughlin, having completed the complex training process that lasted fourteen months, received the much-coveted “Aquila Turrita”.
The events took place in the presence of the Leadership of the respective international programs, namely the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at the Sheppard Base and the Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) at the Laughlin and Columbus Bases.
Despite the considerable distances between the various bases, Lieutenant Colonel Michele Minonne, Head of the Italian Military Air Force Representation (RAMI), accompanied by some instructors, presented the prestigious badge bearing the signature of the Chief of Staff to all the officers, as well as the message of satisfaction from Air Force General Mario Renzo Ottone, Commander of the A.M./3rd Air Region Schools.
The entire Italian community present in Texas, including the Sponsors, the Belltchev couple, and the families of the newly certified Officers who came from Italy, gathered around the young pilots who achieved this prestigious milestone, standing out for their value and commitment among their colleagues from other Nations.
During the speeches delivered during the ceremonies, in fact, all the Leadership expressed their praise for our graduates, both for the excellent level of integration in their respective international classes and for the unusual “officership” demonstrated.
Although all the “performances” of the 8 cadets were assessed at levels of absolute excellence, a special mention deserves that of Lieutenant Alberto B. (Class JSUPT 12-11 at Laughlin) and that of Lieutenant Dario D.N. (Class ENJJPT 12-06 at Sheppard) who, in their respective Classes, won the recognition for the best results achieved in the theoretical study phase, the so-called Academics.
Equally noteworthy are the results achieved by Lieutenant Alessandro S., who, also in the ENJJPT 12-06 class, earned three awards:
“Flying Excellence”, as a student who consistently demonstrated the best performance in flight; “Distinguished Graduate”, as a student who graduates in the top 10% of their class; and “Deadalian’s Trophy Top Formation”, as a student who demonstrated the best aptitude and achieved the best performance in formation flight.
Lieutenant Colonel Minonne, on behalf of General Ottone, addressed the 8 commissioned officers with a sincere and auspicious “Good job guys!“urging them to always act in an exemplary manner in the name of those ethical and moral values that characterize the “status of a soldier” and are enshrined in the oath taken.
