Armed forces: at the Quirinale the awarding of the IMO honors

(To Greater Defense)
03/11/18

"Tomorrow will not be a November 4 like many, it will be 'November 4' in which Italians will celebrate exactly one hundred years of territorial and moral unification at the end of one of the most devastating conflicts that our country and Europe have ever known ".

This is how Defense Minister, Elisabetta Trenta, spoke in an afternoon speech at the Quirinale during the ceremony for the awarding of the honors of the Italian Military Order (OMI), traditionally held on the occasion of the Day of National Unity and Armed forces.

A significant anniversary that will be celebrated in one of the symbolic cities of the First World War, Trieste, city "contention and the result of antithetical memories that for generations has been an identifying factor for many Italians and the emblem of a country to be reunited, asserting a clear national right".

"Today we could never imagine the history of Italy separated from the history of its Armed Forces" the minister added, underlining how the anniversary of November 4 brings back memories "the extraordinary choral, epic and shared commitment of which our Armed Forces, along with all the Italian people, took the lead in embodying the Risorgimento dream of the territorial unity of the country".

"A story made up of testimonies of life, human and professional, that embrace all our soldiers in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Carabinieri Army, who honor the individual, the Armed Forces and that make all Italians proud.

Testimonies of men, officers, commanders, who have been able to express extraordinary qualities of leadership, professionalism, competence but also courage, solidarity and humanity in international contexts and in the most diverse operational areas ".

A significant part of this story is told by the honors conferred by the head of state on six soldiers.

They have been awarded the IMO:

- general of the army corps (EI) Giovanni Maria Clemente Carlo Fungo          
- Brigadier General (EI) Claudio Minghetti       
- Rear Admiral (MM) Fabio Gregori              
- frigate captain (MM) Paolo Podico            
- lieutenant captain (MM) Robert Gelsomino             
- Lieutenant CS (CC) Giuseppe Rizzello     

The minister then focused on the importance of spreading knowledge, especially among the new generations, of what is done daily by the Defense world.
With this in mind, tomorrow the students of twenty-eight Schools and Institutes in as many Italian cities will be symbolically presented the Tricolore. There will also be numerous initiatives organized in many other cities, such as Open Barracks and Barracks in the Piazza, to promote a greater understanding of the role and significance of the Armed Forces among the students of the schools of all levels.

"Today the Armed Forces have a broad consensus among the citizens, not only for their role as guarantors of the defense of the country and international security, but also for the fundamental role of support for the other components of the State, which sees our military service of citizens in times of natural disasters and in the most diverse situations of emergencies " added the minister.

"Building this consensus and this credibility was neither easy nor painless, it took decades of work, of sobriety in individual behavior and respect, towards the institutions in the homeland and towards the civil populations in the theaters of intervention.

Today our soldiers are a precious resource for the country, to be proud of. An extraordinary heritage that we want to preserve and grow day by day, respecting the roles and responsibilities that compete with us ".