Yesterday, at the Experimental Department of Standardization Air Shooting, on the occasion of the completion of the restoration work on the war memorial in the department, a sober ceremony was held to commemorate all those who, in fulfilling their duty, sacrificed their lives by working at Decimomannu Airport. The event was chaired by the commander Colonel Mario Martorano and was attended by representatives of all Aeronautical Weapon Associations of Sardinia, of the German detachment personnel of the German Air Force at the Base and of the personnel of the department.
The monument, adjacent to the Palazzina Comando, consists of the half-wing of the glorious F-104 aircraft Starfighter used for many years by the departments deployed to Decimomannu, inserted between some granite rocks. On the wing are reported, in addition to the tricolor cockade of the Italian Air Force, the cockades of the German Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Air Force and the United State Air Force, representing the respective countries that from the 1959 to today have shared use and management ofAir Weapon Training Installation (AWTI) of Decimomannu, the multinational cooperation that has enabled many generations of aviators from different nations to train together.
During the ceremony, in the presence of the picket in arms and the personnel of the department, the commander together with Lieutenant Colonel Wolfgang Asmus of the German Air Force, laid a laurel wreath on the notes of theInno del Piave and honors were then given to the fallen by the execution of the Silence. The event ended with the celebration of a Mass at the airport church, officiated by the military chaplain don Marco Zara.
The commander in his nod, after thanking the representatives of the Weapon Associations and all those present who honored the event with their participation, recalled the importance of keeping alive the memory of the fallen, of those who have sacrificed his life in the fulfillment of his duty, "since our memory represents Their second life" and so that the noble ideals that inspired their deeds continue to inspire the women and men of the department even today.
