"Officers, NCOs, Graduates, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Carabinieri and Civil Defense Staff, on the Day of National Unity and Armed Forces Day we commemorate, together with the Guardia di Finanza Corps, the armistice with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the victorious end of the First World War.
With the battle of Vittorio Veneto, Italy brought the Tricolor to fly over Trento and Trieste and gathered all the Italians within their borders finally crowning the Risorgimento ideal of cohesion and unity of the Fatherland.
The 4 November of the 1918, after forty-one months of uninterrupted and very hard fights, conducted "with unshakable faith and tenacious value" - as stated in the Bulletin number 1268 of the Supreme Army Command - our country emerged victorious from a conflict marked by human costs and very high materials. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers offered their lives honoring the oath of fidelity and to them, together with the fallen of every age and circumstance in the name of the Fatherland, we address today our gratitude and a moved and respectful thought. They are joined by remembrance for all civil brothers who lost their lives in war or because of conflicts. Thanks also to their sacrifice, our young nation showed the world that it had already gained widespread awareness of its identity and a strong sentiment of the People, values consolidated around the principles of militarism.
The country was able to rise from its rubble even overcoming the troubled phase of a second world war, helping to ensure the entire continent over 70 years of peace and prosperity.
Today, however, we are facing an international situation characterized by situations of instability and insecurity that can not only threaten the local and regional realities in which they are generated, but to reverberate their nefarious effects on the dynamics of free and democratic coexistence of peoples on a global scale. An example of this are the vile terrorist attacks that have also affected Europe and its citizens, on their territory and in various parts of the world.
Strengthened by the teachings of the past and in accordance with the great heritage of which they are custodians, the Italian soldiers of all the Armed Forces oppose the current threats by working daily with a deep sense of duty and a spirit of sacrifice for the promotion of international security and the safeguarding of State interests.
Beyond 6700, men and women with stars perform their duties, outside national borders, in consolidation operations and support for local institutions alongside colleagues from friendly and allied countries, providing a decisive contribution to the stability and peaceful coexistence of peoples. A commitment that ranges from the Balkans to the southern side of the Mediterranean, from Mali to the Horn of Africa, to the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Professionalism, spirit of sacrifice, humanity and profound respect for the dignity and cultures of others are the characteristic aspects that have always permeated our military operations. An all-Italian approach that makes our Armed Forces a model unanimously appreciated abroad and an important, sometimes decisive, component of the 'Country System', capable of enhancing the increasingly close relationship between the aspects of 'advanced defense' and of 'internal security'.
In fact, military personnel abroad are joined by those who work every day at home: in competition with public security alongside law enforcement, on the front line in countering criminal organizations that profit from the exploitation of the dramatic phenomenon of migratory flows, as well as to help the population in the event of natural disasters. In this sense, it is with pride of the Commander and condolences for civilian victims that I highlight the contribution that the Armed Forces are providing following the dramatic telluric phenomena that hit central Italy even in recent days. The timely and effective intervention, conducted in full spirit interforce and in synergy with the other Institutions of the State, has allowed, thanks also to the use of the dual capabilities of the Defense, to bring immediate relief to the involved populations, contributing to restore the essential services , helping the needy and protecting the goods that escaped disaster.
An all-out commitment made possible also by the organizational continuity ensured by those who, behind the scenes, carry out a precious and irreplaceable job serving in the components supporting the military instrument: training, training, logistics, administrative, research and experimentation.
To continue to guarantee this capacitive level, the Armed Forces are called upon to finalize important organic and structural reforms in line with what is requested by the Nation, protecting the overall operations and above all the centrality of the human resource, taking into due consideration the connotation of financial sustainability .
Officers, non-commissioned officers, graduates, soldiers, sailors, airmen, Carabinieri and civil defense personnel, you are the most direct and genuine expression of national character and virtues. The heirs of the heroic infantrymen who stopped the invader on the Piave and on the Grappa, of the soldiers who achieved success also in Vittorio Veneto, of the sailors who sank the battleship Santo Stefano, competing for the victory in the 1918, of the intrepid aviators in the skies of Montello , of the carabinieri, of the financiers, military who magnificently supported the war effort in the battles on the Italian eastern front, the most terrible of all those of the Great War.
Wherever you are operating, at home or abroad, in operational contexts or in support activities, always carry in your heart the ideals represented by our flag, proud to belong to the Italian Armed Forces.
The country knows that it can count on its 'citizens with the stars', confident of their professionalism, their commitment and their extraordinary values.
On this day of celebration and national memory I express to you and your families the most sincere and sincere wishes.
Long live the Armed Forces, Long live Italy! "
(photo: SMD)
