In the morning of today at the “Duca” Barracks in Verona, 431 Volunteers in Fixed Station for a year (VFP1), including 20 women, from the 85th “Verona” Volunteer Training Regiment (RAV) have sworn allegiance to the Republic.
The ceremony took place in front of the Regimental War Flag - decorated with a Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Italy, a Silver Medal for Military Valor and a Silver of Merit - in the presence of the school commander of Infantry, Brigadier General Giuseppe Faraglia, and of numerous political, civil and religious authorities of the Scaliger territory.
At the orders of the commander of the 85th RAV, Colonel Gianluca Ficca, and ahead of over 2000 people, including relatives and friends who came from all over Italy to be close to their loved ones, the men and women enrolled with the 3rd Block 2019 shouted their "I swear!".
"... it is certainly with a moved heart that you are going to formulate the promise of loyalty to the fundamental values to which every soldier is bound to be inspired, SENSE OF DUTY, COURAGE, LOYALTY, HONOR, ALTRUISM ... and you will do it in the presence of the Flag of War, in which we all identify ourselves, ready even for the ultimate sacrifice following the example of those who preceded us ". So, in his speech, Colonel Ficca.
"... from today you have embarked on a path of values that you will fulfill every day. It is onerous to choose to be a Soldier, I admire you for this and I hope you can always have the enthusiasm that characterizes you today" General Faraglia then underlined, addressing the jurors. The general, together with the command line, yesterday afternoon gave them the diary "I am a soldier", a book of values in which it is possible to gather their experiences.
The ceremony, full of emotion, also saw the now constant presence of some classes of primary schools in the Veronese area. As a premise, the "small citizens", welcomed by the young Soldiers, visited the historical path of the recently inaugurated "Duca" Barracks. Thus they learned the main functions performed by the Army to guarantee the security of the country and the citizens, and the profound meaning that permeates the oath of every soldier. After the ceremony, as part of the food project developed in the primary schools in the area, the schools were offered a "healthy snack".
The training process of VFP1, lasting a total of 11 weeks, focuses on three main training areas: technical-professional, physical-sporting and behavioral-motivational and is organized into two modules: basic and advanced. With today's important day, the Volunteers are preparing to begin the "advanced" one - a phase mainly characterized by technical-professional activities - and next March they will reach the Operational Departments or specialty training centers, located throughout the national territory.
From 1997 the 85 ° RAV is one of the three regiments of the Army, the only one in the North of Italy, which has the task of training the young VFP1, women and men, who decide to embark on a military career by training more than 2.000 every year.
