4 ° memorial dedicated to the captain gold medal Umberto Oriolo

18/09/14

Yesterday at the "Bellavista" school camp in Bari, in the presence of the aerial team general Franco Girardi, commander of the air force schools / 3 ^ Air Region, the IX "City of Bari" National Meeting dedicated to Captain Umberto Oriolo , a Bari instructor pilot who 16 June of 1994, while flying over the skies of Melpignano (Lecce) with sergeant Paolo Ceccato, with a very high sense of duty, heroically chose not to jump with a parachute to prevent his jet from failing crashed on the town.

After addressing a warm greeting to all the authorities present, General Girardi in his speech declared: "today is a day of celebration, in memory of Captain Oriolo and Sergeant Ceccato, heroes and extraordinary examples for all of us, combined with young people and sport that is a teacher of life. This painful ceremony is combined with young people and the future that we must look to with optimism even in times of difficulty. ”He also recalled the pilots who died in the tragic accident in August and thanked the Oriolo family .

Addressing the athletes of Vigna di Valle, General Girardi concluded by saying: "Sport has helped me a lot to grow, to overcome difficulties. Have fun, put enthusiasm and passion into it".

At the opening ceremony of the meeting were the parents of Captain Oriolo, the councilor for sport and the environment, Pietro Petruzzelli, the mayor of Melpignano, Ivan Stomeo, the regional president of the Italian athletics federation (FIDAL), Angelo Giliberto, and the president of the aeronautical weapon association - section of Bari, brigadier general Domenico Chirico.

The competitions were attended by 300 athletes belonging to companies from all over Italy of which 10 of the blue weapon all in service at the sports center of Vigna di Valle.

The event represented an opportunity for the Air Force and the FIDAL regional committee to strengthen the sharing of principles and ideals that distinguish military and sporting realities.