On Thursday 23 September, at the "Tornado" Hangar of the Pratica di Mare Airport, the handover ceremony took place at the top of the Air Force logistic command, between the air squad general Giovanni Fantuzzi, outgoing commander, and the air squad general Roberto Comelli, incoming commander.
The event, which took place in compliance with the anti-contagion measures from Covid-19, was opened with the signing of the Board of Honor in the "Biseo" room by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, team general aerial Alberto Rosso, who then presided over the ceremony. Present at the event were the Banner of the City of Pomezia and the banners of the Combatant and Weapon Associations and, to confer further solemnity, the War Flags of the experimental flight department and the 3rd flock. Many military and civil authorities intervened together with the heads of the divisions and services of the High Command, the representation of the commanders of the entities and dependent departments and the personnel of the logistic command.
During the farewell speech, General Fantuzzi expressed his deep thanks to his family, to the head of SMA with whom he has always worked with synergy and sincere collaboration, to the friends of the "Turbine III" course for their closeness and affection remained unchanged over time and to all the personnel who contributed, in various capacities, to the achievement of the objectives assigned during his period of command. After having outlined a summary of the main activities carried out successfully and the goals achieved by the high command, he wanted to leave some key concepts as a legacy of his work: "You can't bring home the goals alone, the team is a winner" and again "Leadership must be conquered by example and not by rank alone, but above all it must be shared, because charisma is earned on the field". Another aspect he wanted to focus on is the importance of the spirit of service, a soldier, in fact, must never focus on his own personal interests, but serve the country generously.
In conclusion, General Fantuzzi turned to his successor, wishing him the best of satisfactions at the helm of the AM logistic command, certain that he will be able to best interpret the delicate role entrusted to him by the top of the Armed Force.
At the end of his speech, the honors were delivered to the logistic command staff who distinguished themselves for their work, a source of pride for the Armed Force and the entire nation. Specifically, the Pratica di Mare airport command was awarded the Gold Medal for Aeronautical Valor. The experimental flight department, General Fantuzzi and Colonel De Simone Francesco received the Silver Medal for Aeronautical Valor. Some soldiers of the RSV (Colonel Igor Bruni, Lieutenant Colonel Alessandro Bobbio, Lieutenant Colonel Pierluigi De Paolis, Major Jacopo Valentino Covioli, Major Antonio Ciotola) and of the health service (Lieutenant Remo Antonio Ranalletta, first lieutenant Vincenzo Fiorillo, first lieutenant Marco Marchese, marshal 2 ^ cl. Ilaria Valentini) were awarded the Bronze Medal for Aeronautical Valor, while other soldiers of the RSV received the Bronze Medal for Aeronautical Merit (major Ettore Pasini, captain Giuseppe Schiano, captain Dario Esposito).
Following the heartfelt and intense moment of actual handover that took place in front of the two flags, General Comelli took the floor, thanking the superior authorities for the trust placed in entrusting him with the leadership of the high command, also assuring his own commitment to pursue the assigned objectives with determination. He, addressing the staff, considered the most precious resource, manifested "the firm intention to operate in the sign of continuity, well aware of the excellent things and the many activities carried out and widely recognized by the superior authorities. The conferral of honors today is a clear demonstration of this. Only by treasuring the results achieved can we continue successfully along the path traced and also be ready and open to innovations where circumstances require ".
At the end of the event, the intervention of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who thanked General Fantuzzi for the excellent work done and the brilliant service provided during his 44-year career. Addressing all the personnel of the logistic command he stated: "The paradigm of our business has changed in recent years. Traditionally the tip of the spear was the operational departments and the logistics and logistics command all, in silence and in the rear, operated to support the tip of the spear. Today this is no longer the case: the logistics component is equally at the forefront as well as the operational departments ". Finally, he expressed his "good luck" to General Comelli for the new assignment, expressing the certainty that he will be able to maintain a high level of professionalism and quality of the entire logistics team.
