Friday 11 February 2022, a date that will remain etched in the memory of the 173 young volunteers who, in the historic Piazza d'Armi of the Officers' School of Taranto, in the presence of the commander of the Institute, Rear Admiral Andrea Petroni, they shouted proudly and compactly their desire to serve the country, chanting in unison "I swear". A conscious and convinced choice for the new sailors, which has come to the end of an intense period during which they attended the basic training course, acquiring the necessary tools to carry out the tasks that will be entrusted to them at the various employment destinations.
“We are only at the beginning of our journey - said the 2nd class municipality NP Turco Lory at the end of the swearing ceremony - but in the eyes of each of us there is the determination and the desire to follow the route of those who preceded us. Today I experienced a whirlwind of emotions, from the satisfaction of having completed a journey, to the regret of no longer seeing my roommates, but above all the happiness and pride of feeling part of the great family of the Navy. "
The admiral, in a passage of his address, wanted to highlight the profound value for every sailor represented by the sense of duty: "Never forget that the very high values of Fatherland and Honor - which must always represent for each of you the North Star to follow, even in the darkest and most stormy nights - have their roots in duty and are nourished by it, that duty that it will lead you every day to sacrifice yourself for the common good before your own ".
As early as next Monday, 38 sailors will be an integral part of the crews of the naval units and 16 harbor pilots will be employed at various locations of the Port Authorities, while the rest will attend specialized courses for kitchen and canteen teacher, torpedo and weapon mechanic, electrician and signalman at Mariscuola Taranto, for helmsman and defense service and installations at Mariscuola La Maddalena, for amphibious at the marine brigade Saint Mark.
