At the Military Hippodrome “Gen. CA Pietro Giannattasio ”of Rome, today 4 May, the party for the 156th anniversary of the founding of the Army was staged, in the presence of the president of the republic, Sergio Mattarella, of the Minister of Defense, sen. Roberta Pinotti, of the Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Claudio Graziano, of the Army Chief of Staff, gen. ca Danilo Errico, and of the high Italian political and military institutions. The Army, a modern and organized but with an important history and rich in traditions, always at the forefront of international missions.
After the formation of the formation brigade, made up of representatives of all the Army corps, and after the review of the army's war flag and the high offices present, the ceremony continued with the CSME speech Danilo Errico, who he first of all thanked all the authorities present then spoke about how important was 1917.
"A hundred years ago, in the epic fights of the X and XI Isonzo battle, 80 Italian soldiers fell, an important memory for all the soldiers", These are the words of Errico, who wanted to remember and give his condolences to the families of all the soldiers who died between 1861 and today.
The Army that was one of the main protagonists for the unification of Italy, now looks to the future through the Single Book and through international missions, an essential commitment for the oldest of the Armed Forces. A fundamental commitment was also the one mentioned by Errico, or the effort of the genius in the areas hit by the last earthquake: "An intervention for the rescue, for the restoration of the roads and for the construction of bridges, to eliminate the rubble and for other fundamental interventions". This commitment was honored by the granting of the gold medal for civil valor to the war flag of the Army, to represent the efforts of all military bodies.
Following spoke the CSMD Claudio Graziano, who after the usual ritual greetings, spoke of the importance of May 4 as the founding date of the Army, that despite many regiments already existed before 1861: "This date represents the unitary spirit that arose with the Risorgimento". Graziano also dwelt on the importance of 1917, but unlike Errico he did not commemorate the fallen but wanted to emphasize how much that annus horribilis was important for the victory of the Great War, thanks to the efforts following the defeat of Caporetto. History must be looked at without forgetting the present and the future, which is why it stressed the importance of development and military cooperation also in foreign countries, where in a year the deployment of troops in Latvia and the command of NATO's rapid reaction forces.
The last intervention was that of the Minister of Defense, sen. Roberta Pinotti, who wanted to express her feelings about this anniversary: "There are many founding dates in the national memory of us Italians, such as April 25 and June 2, but I believe that in the history of our country, May 4, 1861 is a date to remember with more attention". The Army that more than all the other Armed Forces has sustained a consistent numerical effort in its daily use, in Italy and abroad, and: "Without the contribution of our Army today we would not have this Italy", The minister said. The commitments that will be presented in the future will undoubtedly be fulfilled with the utmost dedication and pride, virtues well present in the distant and recent history of the Army.
Happy anniversary Army and the Armed Forces live.
(photo: Italian Army)
