On Thursday 4 July, at the 15 ° Stormo of Cervia, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, general of aerial team Alberto Rosso, the 50 anniversary of the establishment of the Air Rescue Core (ARS). The ceremony was attended by the civil, military and religious authorities of the provinces of Ravenna and Forlì-Cesena and the leaders of the 15 ° Stormo chain of command.
The figure of the ARS represents an excellence of the Italian Air Force. Since 28 Marzo 1969, official date of the constitution of the nucleus, behind every intervention and behind each of the over 7300 people saved by the 15 ° Stormo, there has always been an ARS that, day and night, in Italian territory or outside the borders national, in the most desperate conditions, has completed the rescue.
Aerosuppliers are also known as Jolly to underline their characteristic versatility, they are in fact able to survive in desert, snow-covered, jungle or sea environments. Furthermore, it was an Aerosoccorritore who found a hatch on the bottom of Lake Bracciano Kant Z 506 with depicted a Jolly which was later chosen as their emblem. Among the ranks of Aerosuppliers there are 35 Medals of Merit and Value of which a Gold still in service.
This important day began with a mass and then continued with a solemn moment of laying the laurel wreath on the war memorial of the Stormo. On this occasion, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force took the floor thanking the 15th Wing for its daily and constant work. "Particularly - said General Rosso - Air rescuers are extraordinary people, soldiers who have always gone beyond simple duty, putting in what they do not only passion, attention and generosity but above all heart, deserving the nickname of guardian angels ".
At the end of this more formal part, the Aerosuppliers gave proof of their abilities in a flight demonstration on the HH-139 and HH-101 helicopters simulating the recovery of personnel who remained isolated both in a national and hostile environment.
