The torchbearer for the ceremony is the fencer Paolo Pizzo, a member of the Air Force Sports Centre and World Champion
On Wednesday, December 7, at the evocative Aula Magna of the Institute of Military Aeronautics Sciences (ISMA) in Florence, 37 young Trainees of the 1st Course of the Military Air Force School “Giulio Douhet” received the spadino, a symbol of belonging to the School and the Italian Air Force.
The ceremony, presided over by the Commandant of the Institute of Military Aeronautical Sciences, Brigadier General Urbano Floreani, was opened by the intervention of Col. Massimiliano Macioce, Commandant of the Douhet who, greeting the parents of the students, highlighted the extraordinary nature of these young people “who made a courageous choice by giving up domestic comforts and who are driven by an uncommon motivation”.
Turning then directly to the students, Col. Macioce urged them to be proud and proud of the first results achieved and to persevere and aspire to even greater goals: “It’s all of Italy that is asking you to do this!”
After completing his remarks, Col. Macioce then invited Major Sergeant Paolo Pizzo, the speaker of the ceremony, to take the stage for his speech.
“Having the courage to face every challenge, head high but with the humility to ask for help from those who stand by us: the teammate, the colleague, the family. Discipline as the guiding path to get back on our feet when life seems to bring us to our knees.” With these words Major Sergeant Pizzo, a fighter pilot with the Italian Air Force and the Italian National Team, wanted to encourage the young cadets of Douhet not to give up in the face of the small and big obstacles they will have to face in their journey.
Pizzo, two-time world champion in the fencing discipline (in 2011 and 2017) and silver medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the team fencing event, then recalled how as a sportsman and as a member of the Navy, he is proud to be at the service of the country and invited the boys and girls about to wield the sabre to adopt the values represented by the tricolor.
Following that, General Floreani addressed the students, emphasizing that: “The challenge is with yourself and not between you; if you understand that collaboration will help you overcome personal limitations, you will be able to go far by overcoming all obstacles.”And also “Don’t let the pursuit of proving your worth to yourself be stronger than respect for the rule; learn to behave well even when no one is watching, or think that no one is watching you; integrity is not a negotiable value.”
The ceremony continued with the awarding of scholarships, donated by associations, institutions and families who have always been connected to the school, to the pupils who most distinguished themselves for curricular, disciplinary and sporting merits achieved in the previous academic year.
Next, the most significant moment of the day: the delivery of the “spadino” to the First Course students, who were incorporated last September 5th: the students in the second year of their education have in fact personally handed over the spadino to each student of the First Course. An ideal handover of traditions of the School and a symbol of the values and principles of the Institute and the Italian Air Force.
The spadino originates from an ancient maritime tradition: it was in fact a short weapon created for young officers who, on board naval units, could not perform their duties easily using the long ceremonial sabre. Over time, the spadino became synonymous with “young” or “student”, spreading as a tradition among other weapons as well.
The “Giulio Douhet” Military Aviation School (opened in 2006), as well as the other Military Schools (Nunziatella di Napoli, Teulié di Milano and Morosini di Venezia), is a secondary school of second level that offers courses in the classical and scientific disciplines, and which is accessed through a public competition.
As of September 5, 2022, there are 102 students (53 of female gender) distributed as follows: 35 students of the Sirio Course, who are attending the third year (18 of the classical high school and 17 of the scientific high school), 30 students of the Taurus Course, in the second year (13 of the classical high school and 17 of the scientific high school), and 37 students of the First Course (18 of the classical high school and 19 of the scientific high school).
