This is what was declared by the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Air Squad General Pasquale Preziosa at the opening of the ceremony for the 92nd anniversary of the establishment of the Arma Azzurra which was held yesterday morning at the Ciampino military airport (Rome) . The head of SMA then went on to say: "We are an Armed Force that goes forward. But it knows how to look back. And it knows how to honor its fallen and its wounded. As in the case of those of Ascoli: Alessandro, Paolo-Piero, Giuseppe and Mariangela , fallen into an exercise that had only one purpose: to be ready and operational when needed. And Marshal Giuseppe Romata injured during a NATO exercise at the Albacete air base ".
The speech of General Preziosa was followed by that of the army corps general Claudio Graziano, Chief of Defense Staff "the Air Force, like the other Armed Forces is projected to change in respect of traditions". In his message of good wishes to the staff, General Graziano had also emphasized how "These first intense 92 years contain a glorious past, marked by the attainment of numerous and prestigious goals achieved by virtue of an innate symbiosis between professionalism, technology and innovation. A history inextricably linked to crucial moments in national affairs, built daily, with determination and courage, by so many men and women who, with silent commitment, have served 'in blue', never forgetting the many who - in peace and in war, in training or in operations - they have sacrificed their lives in fulfilling their duty for the supreme good of their homeland, assuring us and future generations the chance to live in a free, prosperous and democratic country ".
The ceremony was chaired by Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti, who said: "Summarizing all the operational commitments of the Arma Azzurra would be too long here, but I cannot fail to mention, just to mention the most recent emergencies, that Italian aircraft , piloted and unmanned, armed or not, are also used in the skies of the Baltic, the Middle East and the central Mediterranean to contribute to the efforts, shared with our friendly and allied countries, and aimed at safeguarding international stability and security. In my visit to the staff involved in the operation multilateral 'Inherent Resolve' against the barbarous ISIS militias in Iraq, I was able to realize firsthand the quality and quantity of the contribution made by our Air Force. "At the end of his speech, the minister conferred the honors on the personnel of the 'Arma Azzurra which has distinguished itself in delicate military operations or emergency situations. the flight crew of the C-130 than in the 2013 evacuated Italian and foreign citizens from South Sudan following the riots that broke out in the African country, the flight crews who rescued the passengers of the Norman Atlantic ferry and the non-commissioned officer who saved the life of his colleague who was involved in the plane crash last January at the Spanish base in Albacete.
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