Commander Bartoli, you do not come from the 17th Incursori Wing, but you will find yourself commanding a unit of raiders… What do you expect, what will your first actions be? In any case, he also finds on the field an excellent job done by his predecessor, Commander Fiore ...
"Exactly ... Mine was an operational career, made up of theaters and activities strictly related to those of the Special Forces department, so much so that I come from the Ninth Brigade which is ISTAREW, acronym for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition Reconnaissance Electronic Warfare, therefore a parallel and complementary component to that of the Special Forces. And that's why I know how they work, I know how we must continue to collaborate together and the wealth of experience I have had before will certainly be useful ".
It is the first joke released to Online Defense by Col. Gino Bartoli, from the Ninth Air Force Brigade and today, new commander of the 17 ° Stormo raiders of the Italian Air Force, substituted to col. Claudio Fiore. A brief and suggestive ceremony, marked by the band of the Italian Air Force in important moments, such as the honors to the 17 ° Stormo flag or the various command steps this morning at the military airport of Furbara, where there was also the gen. of Gianpaolo Miniscalco air division, since yesterday at the head of the Special Forces and Support Command in Rome.
"The first salute goes to the war flag of the 17th Wing, a symbol of the value of homeland, honor, spirit of sacrifice that characterize the department since its establishment and of which I have been jealous and faithful guardian for the last two years", Began the col. Flower, in his last speech by commander, reiterating how the department is perfectly integrated into the territory that hosts it, a stone's throw from Cerveteri, an ancient Etruscan town near Rome.
“Today I leave the command of the 17th Wing… It has been two years spent with the foot on the accelerator, faced with constant enthusiasm and commitment, to continue the process of consolidation and expansion of the department's operational capabilities. An intense and exciting period, which has profoundly enriched me on a human and professional level but of which today I will not draw up balances, which are up to my superiors ... The work done was aimed at guaranteeing the constant level of operational readiness required by the Defense, to continue to fruitful collaboration with the equal departments of Special Forces nationally and internationally, to bring historical autonomous training skills back to the Armed Force, such as those of military paratroopers with the launch of the free fall technique. All in order to enhance the specificities of the Flock, able to conduct the entire spectrum of special operations, in addition to the progressive consolidation of operational skills and professionalism of prevailing aeronautical interest. The 17 ° Stormo has been employed for 13 years, without interruption, in the main operational theaters where the Italian Armed Forces are located. In the field of joint forces, the 17th wing was able to offer itself as an added value to the prestigious national special forces sector. All this was possible thanks to the work, carried out with dedication and passion, of the men and women of the 17th century in all its operational, training and support components, who work daily with professionalism, confidentiality and without clamor, but in the awareness of their ability and silent awareness of the importance of the assigned mission. On this basis, I send my greetings to those of the 17th who are absent today, because they are employed in missions abroad or in training activities. They are in the field the manifestation of the Flock, the concrete evidence of the qualitative dimension obtained by the department. To them my hug and my thanks ". And to the new commander, "Gino, I know I'm leaving you a ready, motivated, highly professional unit. Aware of the quality of your training, I am sure that under your guide the Storm will reach ambitious goals"She ended emotionally.
"I would like to express my deep gratitude to the High Command of the Military Air Force for having put my trust in me, assigning me this prestigious assignment"Began the new commander Gino Bartoli.
"Today, I feel deeply proud and honored to take over the command of this Stormo, a relatively young Storm, but that it rocks its roots in a prestigious, albeit brief, story of the ADRA's Destructive Destructive Arbitration. I am aware that it will not be an easy task, that the pitfalls will be multiple and the various issues. But I'm determined to assure Storm the utmost of my abilities and energies, to continue my path of my predecessors. With humility and tenacity I will try to stimulate collaborative synergies, here and with all departments and commands in the Armed Forces and Interforce, with whom Storm will be cooperating. This is to get the most out of all the goals set by the Military Air Force and the Supreme Defense Council in the best possible time. I will constantly strive to ensure that the 17 ° Formo continues to guarantee the level of operational readiness and optimal capacitive standards, in order to successfully honor the intrinsic areas under the aegis of the Special Forces Interventions Command, the COFS. The 17 ° Stormo Incursori has unique strengths of Armed Forces, with professionalism indispensable and partly complementary to those of the other Special Forces, which contribute to the best, extending the gap between the operations that can be carried out".
The col. Bartoli has closed his speech assuring the intention to focus on the enhancement and growth of professional skills of men and women of 17 ° and greeted the outgoing commander, thanking him for leaving a highly operational, organized and motivated, with excellence in all operational, training and support components.
Thanks to the outgoing commander and an appreciation to the new one arrived from gen. Gianpaolo Miniscalco who, after recalling that Furbara airport is a place that has always made generations of aviators feel at home, summed up between yesterday and tomorrow.
"Today the command at the top of this prestigious department is formalized ", he debuted. "The operational commitments of the last two years have been combined with the hectic routine of training and exercising activities without any rest. But the tiring journey by the department and Colonel Fiore has made it possible to operate the storm successfully on several occasions ... Colonel Fiore, she has worked not only with the sense of duty, but with the enthusiasm of those who believe in own role, having served the Storm and leading it to excellence. The emotion he talked during the speech shows how much heart he has thrown in this affair. Must be proud of the professional growth gained. "
"Colonel Bartoli, you are the new commander of this reality button. It must obviously show with the facts the confidence that we have given it, the task that awaits it is certainly challenging. His professional preparation and his goodness as a man and officer make me believe that he will be able to do a good job, enhancing what has already been accomplished by his predecessors, many of whom are present here today ... I would like to send a personal greeting to the 17 °, I want to thank you because all the tasks have been completed thanks to your commitment and thanks to your sense of duty. You have reached the most important goals ", and concluding General Miniscalco asked them to give Colonel Bartoli the same commitment they gave to Fiori.
The inauguration ceremony ended with a demonstration of air raids by three paratroopers of the 17th Wing, with elliptical evolutions before landing with the flag of the 17th and the tricolor.
Also read: "17 ° Flocking and fighting with bare hands"
See also: "The 17 ° Flock of the Military Air Force"
