The ceremony took place this morning in an Hangar of the 6th Stormtrooper Wing in Ghedi (BS).
To pay their last respects to Captain Alessandro Dotto, Captain Paolo Piero Franzese, Captain Giuseppe Palminteri and Captain Mariangela Valentini, were present the Minister of Defense, Senator Roberta Pinotti, the Chief of Staff of the Defense, Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Pasquale Preziosa. The entire 6th Wing, along with many colleagues from other Departments of the Air Force and representatives of various combatant and arms associations, joined together around the coffins wrapped in the Tricolour and the families of the four young Officers.
At the funeral, officiated by the Military Ordinary for Italy, His Eminence Monsignor Santo Marcianò, participated, in addition to civil and military authorities, national and local ones, also numerous citizens who wanted to be present to witness their closeness and their condolences.
In his homily, His Eminence Monsignor Santo Marcianò wanted to remember and pay tribute to the passion and dedication of the four young Officers: “Yes, dear Mariangela, Alessandro, Giuseppe and Paolo Piero: we are here to accompany you home! You left your homes to answer a call and carry out a mission that has united you. And what has particularly united you, as we have heard repeated often these days, is passion: the passion for flying, the passion for your service.”– then continued the Military Ordinariate – “It is truly true: you cannot do such a job without passion! And, in a time like ours, when disillusionment seems to envelop the present and the future, especially for the younger generations, the testimony of those who inject their passion into an effort that gives meaning to life is precious. The passion that Mariangela, Alessandro, Giuseppe and Paolo Piero lived and witnessed is not simply a desire to be achieved, but much more: it requires willingness, discipline, dedication, and training.”In a sign of respect and salutation to the missing crews, today all the Departments of the Italian Air Force have hoisted the flag at half-mast and observed a minute of silence.
