Today, at the "Enrico De Gennaro" barracks, in the presence of the Army Chief of Staff, Army Corps General Pietro Serino, the Corps Party of the 66th "Trieste" Airmobile Infantry Regiment was celebrated, which commemorates the Battle of Takrouna (Tunisia).
The ceremony was attended by the commander of the land operational forces and Army operational command, army corps general Giovanni Fungo, and the mayor of the city, Dr. Gianluca Zattini.
The battle of Takrouna, which took place on the African front in the spring of 1943, is one of the most heroic historical events of the Italian Army, in which infantrymen from the "Trieste" and other departments gave proof of great valor, fighting to the extreme sacrifice.
Today is an extraordinary day for me – said the Army Chief of Staff – because I have in front of me the War Banner which preserves the legacy of legendary men, of whose deeds I learned from books: "extraordinary soldiers led by exceptional commanders". Be proud of your black and white insignia, wear them with respect and honor them for the values they represent, first of all the love for our Italy he then concluded.
On the occasion of the anniversary, the Chief of Staff of the Army awarded the War Flag of the regiment with the Silver Cross of Army Merit, awarded to the unit for its service in the fight against the "COVID-19" pandemic ”, with the following reasoning: “Glorious regiment, intervening promptly in the most acute phase of a serious epidemiological emergency, managed to guarantee decisive relief to the population by doing its utmost with a very high sense of duty in support of the commissioner structure and the civil authorities. Demonstrating iron determination, extraordinary efficiency and sincere altruism, he provided for the creation, in a very short time, of control stations and mobile vaccination facilities".
On this occasion, an exhibition of uniforms, vehicles and equipment supplied to the regiment from its foundation (1862) to today was also set up, recalling in particular the events involving the 1st battalion of the 66th regiment in the battle of Takrouna, in following which the War Flag was decorated with the Gold Medal for Military Valor.
