At the 16th Wing the delivery of the berets to the new fusiliers of the air

(To air Force)
13/10/18

Thursday 11 October 2018, at the 16 ° Stormo "Protection of the Forces" of Martina Franca (TA), was held the ceremony of delivery of the Basque to the military who successfully concluded the frequency of the course "Rifle Air".

At the solemn event, presided over by General Gianpaolo Miniscalco, commander of the Supporting and Special Forces of Rome, from which the Stormo depends, the highest civil, military and local religious authorities took part, together with the members' families. 
A large representation of students from the schools of Martina Franca, together with the fighting and weapon associations and numerous associations for the valorisation of the territory, also served as the setting for the ceremony. For the first time, a representative of the Fucilieri Group of the 9 ° Stormo of Grazzanise (CE), presided by the commander, col. Nicola Lucivero.

The ceremony began with the notes of the Hymn of Mameli orchestrated by the Fanfare of the Schools Command AM / 3 ^ Bari Air Region. The "singing of the Italians", intoned by everyone present, has suggestively accompanied the entry of the Flag of War of the Storm on the place of the ceremony. The event culminated with the blessing of the "blue berets" and in the delivery of the same to the newly qualified by the godparents, identified among the "older" Air Riflemen of the 9 ° and the 16 ° Stormo.

Colonel Giampaolo Marin, commanding the 16 ° Stormo, after a brief wave of greeting thanked all the participants and highlighted how today is "the most important moment of life of the Department, the act with which he renews himself, proclaims his value and reaffirms its role in the future of the Armed Forces ". The commander then turned to the new Air Riflemen, recalling how "heart and courage are required to live up to the challenges that await you and truly part of this team that in the air, from the air and to the air works every day ". Colonel Marin then focused on the need to consolidate "the choice of the Italian Air Force to equip itself with Fucilieri dell'Aria fifteen years ago. With the commitment we confirm the importance of Riflemen in the integration of the earth and air components of the military instrument ".

General Miniscalco, in his speech, complimented the newly qualified, and reiterated that "the high significance of the ceremony represents the conclusion of a complex path but full of important results achieved also thanks to the commitment of the staff of the Stormo and instructors ". The general underlined the importance of the silent work carried out by the Air Riflemen, units ready to operate in any context "close to the people and at the service of the community in the spirit that has always guided the Armed Force that is constantly at the service of the country" . The Commander of the Support and Special Forces also highlighted how “difficult it is to imagine the Air Force without its Air Riflemen at this time”. The Song of the Air Rifleman sung by the deployed Department concluded the ceremony.

Since the establishment of the 16 ° Stormo in the 2004, every year officers, non-commissioned officers, graduates and military troops of the Italian Air Force have the opportunity to become Riflemen of the Air by attending the qualification course.
To access the course it is necessary to pass a careful psycho-physical selection, to check the requirements of the training program and the intense and selective operative activities.
The “Riflemen of the Air” course is organized by the instructors of the Survive To Operate / Force Protection Training Group of the 16 ° Stormo, the national training center of the Armed Force for the Terrestrial Defense specialty. 
For over 5 months aspiring Riflemen attend land combat classes, use weapons, topography and self defense, learn helicopter descent techniques, anti-sabotage and counter-terrorism techniques, flight notions and aircraft protection, the premise of other professional specialties of the aerospace component. A long and selective training process, aimed at ascertaining the spirit of adaptability, balance, promptness, as well as the ability of users to work in different scenarios for long periods.
The aspirants who receive the "Blue beret" enter the ranks of the Air Rifle Battalion of the 16 ° Stormo "Protection of the Forces" by Martina Franca or in the Fucilieri Air Group of the 9 ° Storo di Grazzanise (CE). Specialized units for the safety of aerospace forces, ready to be used wherever the "country" requires it.