"Thank you again for being here and thank you for all that our guys have done to serve our country".
A moved greeting that Minister Pinotti addressed to the families of the fallen on the occasion of Day of remembrance of the fallen soldiers and civilians in international peace missions. To open the commemoration ceremonies, the deposition of a laurel wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, at the Altare della Patria by the minister Pinotti.
"A heartfelt and respectful greeting to our fallen, your fallen and a heartfelt and moved participation in your pain" said the minister who added: "In the Gospel it is written that there is no greater love than who gives life for their friends, but the great love of our fallen ones, of your fallen ones, is that of having given their lives for the homeland, to serve it, for friends who were not the closest or known, but who could far away ".
"As Minister of Defense, as institutions we know how much we should pay tribute to our fallen, to your fallen. We know how this is an important educational moment of transmission of high values for everyone, but, as a person, this morning passing by to greet you, caressing the children, shaking the hands of the mothers of fathers, brothers, wives, sisters; seeing the photos of the happy moments of your boys, I felt more like a daughter, wife, mother than a minister. I would like to tell you that we understand perfectly how this pain cannot be soothed by all happy memories; it is right that there is, it is right that there is. As was said in the homily: only God's mercy helps to overcome such great pains ".
Words that the minister pronounced at the end of the mass in memory of the fallen celebrated by the military ordinary for Italy, Monsignor Santo Marcianò, in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, during which the message of the President of the Republic, Sergio was read Mattarella.
"Wisdom is the principle of government that serves to ensure stability, security and tranquility, in a word, to build the peace that triumphs together with the common good - said the archbishop in his homily - it is with this wisdom, with this contemplation of human dignity, that our fallen brothers have served the cause of peace, paying for it personally with their life and death ”.
In the basilica, crowded with citizens, were present, among others, the President of the Senate Pietro Grasso, the Vice President of the Chamber, Simone Baldelli, the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Domenico Rossi, the Chief of Defense, General Claudio Graziano, the leaders of the armed forces.
After the deposition of the crown at the Altare della Patria and the mass, the minister with the president of the chamber Laura Boldrini and a delegation of parliamentarians and relatives of the victims, also recalled to Montecitorio the military and civilian fallen of international missions on the occasion of the twelfth anniversary of the Nassiriya massacre, in Iraq, in which 19 men, 17 soldiers engaged in the 'Ancient Babylon' operation and two civilians attached to the Contingent were killed.
