127 student marshals swore loyalty to the Italian Republic in the picturesque Piazza San Lorenzo in Viterbo
The swearing-in and baptism ceremony for the 25th Regular Course of Air Force Student Marshals “Fobos II” was held this morning, Friday 14 April. To mark the Centenary of the Italian Air Force, it took place for the first time in the splendid and picturesque setting of Piazza San Lorenzo in Viterbo. 127 student marshals from all over Italy, who joined the Viterbo training institute on 26 September, swore allegiance to the Italian Republic and its institutions.
The event was chaired by the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti, and the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General Luca Goretti, with the participation of the Commander of Schools and the 3rd Air Region, Air Squad General Silvano Frigerio, local civilian, religious and military authorities, the Standards of the Combatant and Armed Associations of Viterbo, as well as a large representation of relatives of the students and attendees of the Fobos I course.
The Commandant of the Air Force Marshal School and Viterbo Airport Command, Colonel Sandro Cascino, after thanking the authorities and guests present, addressing the families of the students taking the oath, said: “Your presence here today, as well as being extremely important for your children, is vital for all the staff at our Training Institute. Your emotions, your proud looks directed at our trainees, are the fuel for our engines, the motivation that drives us to start again, year after year, with passion, on the wonderful adventure of preparing young Italians by shaping them into men and women, into professional soldiers motivated to serve the country“.
Turning then to the young people, he continued by saying: “127 young Italians, boys and girls who, with motivation, dedication and sacrifice, have faced months full of challenges and obstacles, reaching their first major milestone in what will be a wonderful career in the ranks of our wonderful Italian Air Force. I swear! it will reach the ears of your loved ones like the roar of a powerful engine“.
At the end of his speech, after having grasped the Institute's Flag, he read the formula of the solemn oath for the student marshals of the 25th Course who at the end shouted “I swear!” sealed by a flypast of a formation of Eurofighters from the 4th Fighter Wing of Grosseto, aimed at underlining the value of the capabilities and excellence expressed by the Italian Air Force in the service of the country for the defence and security of the community.
Subsequently, during the ceremony, the Course also underwent its Baptism, taking the name Fobos II, administered by the Bishop of the City of Viterbo, H.E.R. Monsignor Orazio Francesco Piazza, followed by the blessing of the pennant. This was passed from the hands of the President Chief of Non-Commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers and enlisted personnel for the Italian Air Force, 1st Lieutenant Giuseppe Giannetti, to those of the Course godfather, 1st Warrant Officer Gabriele Supino of the 9th Wing, who then handed it to the Course Leader of Fobos II, Student Warrant Officer Simone Pierri. This is a traditional exchange moment intended to ideally symbolise the handover of values, traditions and ideals between generations of warrant officers who have served and will continue to serve in the country's service.
It Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, in his speech said: “Girls and boys of the Fobos course, during this solemn ceremony you have sworn to dedicate your acting exclusively for the good of the community, devoting without reservation every ounce of energy to the performance of the duties that our country will call upon you to fulfil. Do so with pride, determination and sense of duty“.
It General Goretti then he added: “I see among you future technicians, healthcare and flight operators, cybernetic specialists, administrative staff, maintenance personnel and operatives who will carry out their assigned tasks in various Armed Forces bodies and units, some even in the emerging domains of space and cyber, others supporting flight lines, including in various international operational theatres. You will embark on a particularly exciting life path, which will demand significant personal sacrifices, but which will be able to return very great satisfactions, unique both on a human and professional level”.
“The stars are warnings”or stars are a warning, the motto chosen by the young marshals:“Be proud of your choice and always ready to support each other with the courage of your actions and ideas at all times“ concluded General Goretti.
Afterwards, the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti he stated: “Today, we have before us a new generation of marshals. Young professionals trained and prepared thanks to high training standards that provide for advanced degree pathways, developed in close synergy with prestigious universities”Addressing the young marshal cadets, he emphasised:“The oath you have sworn is a solemn act that establishes your entry into the family of the Blue Force. The world awaits you, prepare to take on even greater responsibilities and to interpret your role with growing awareness”.
For the Undersecretary Rauti “the prestigious school of Viterbo represents, due to its organisation and the complexity of its duties, a fundamental cornerstone in the educational landscape of Defence and the Air Force in particular. From this training institution – Senator Rauti pointed out – come the women and men who fly over and protect our skies, European skies and those of the international missions in which we participate; and they do so with impeccable professionalism, courage and extraordinary passion. [...] But there is another important everlasting mission to fulfil, and that is to transmit to society and the national community, through example, the fundamental values of peace, freedom, democracy and civil coexistence”.
Some information about the “Fobos II” Course:
127 students, of whom 101 are men and 26 women. Of these, 80 are attending the degree course in Political Science and International Relations – curriculum in Sciences and Techniques of Aeronautical Professions at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo; 41 are attending the degree course in Aeronautical Maintenance Sciences and Techniques belonging to the Industrial Engineering degree class at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo, and 6 the degree course in Nursing at the Viterbo branch of the Sapienza University of Rome.
The Marshal School of the Italian Air Force / Viterbo Airport Command is subordinate to the Commander of the A.F. Schools and the 3rd Air Region; the unit has a dual mission: on the one hand, as a university-level institution, it is tasked with providing the military and moral training and specific professional education of Non-Commissioned Officers of the Marshal Rank, as well as the refinement and updating of such training; on the other hand, as a military airport open to civil traffic, it ensures the provision of Air Navigation Services and guarantees, in accordance with the provisions of sector operational plans, the efficiency of the airport facilities functional to flight activity.
To review all the stages of the oath and baptism, go to the channel YouTube of the Italian Air Force https://www.youtube.com/live/kJCCLywPoi8?feature=share
