Lieutenant Simone Della Ciana, on duty at the 66 aircraft regiment Trieste (brigade Friuli) was awarded the Army Silver Merit Cross for the courage shown during an operation in the Afghan theater.
The action that saw the protagonist take place last January, about 20 km from Herat. During a patrol, the detachment of the Trieste it is the subject of numerous automatic weapons shots and RPG anti-tank rockets by militiamen.
Della Ciana organizes the defensive device, to prevent possible damage by rockets (i Lynx are vulnerable to this type of ammunition), then coordinate the counterattack that leads to the neutralization of the Taliban group.
Following these events, at the proposal of the Army Chief of Staff, General Salvatore Farina, Minister Guerini signed the decree for decoration.
The 66 ° is a particular regiment within the Italian Army and more generally to NATO forces. The conversion to the aircraft specialty began in the 2000, ending 5 years later. Over the following years he participated in international exercises and operations that refined his skills, making him a light infantry department capable of performing multiple missions with maximum flexibility and, thanks to the interaction with the helicopter component (AH-129D, HH-90 and AB-205), is able to operate in the third dimension.
