The greeting ceremony of the "Aosta" brigade was held in the parade ground of the "Crisafulli Zuccarello" barracks in Messina, in view of their next employment in Lebanon, in the presence of the city and regional authorities and the commander of the Southern Operational Forces, general of the army corps Giuseppenicola Tota.
With this ceremony, the soldiers of the brigade command, of the 5th "Aosta" infantry regiment, of the "Aosta Lancers" regiment (6 °), of the 4 ° sappers engineering regiment and of the "Aosta" logistic regiment, together with rates of 62 The “Sicilia” infantry regiment, the 6th Bersaglieri regiment, the 24th “Peloritani” land artillery regiment and the command department, have completed the training aimed at use in the operational sector in southwestern Lebanon.
Brigadier General Giuseppe Bertoncello, commander of the “Aosta” brigade, will be in charge of the West Sector UNIFIL (United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon), based in Shama, in which 3800 Blue Helmets operate, of which about 1.000 Italian soldiers, from 16 contributing countries to the UN mission. All preparation activities were preparatory to the tasks assigned to the Italian contingent by resolution no. 1701 of the United Nations, which provides for monitoring the cessation of hostilities in the area of operation, assistance to the local population and support for the training of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
In his speech, General Bertoncello spoke "Of great commitment and the opportunity to be among those soldiers who have the privilege of representing Italy in the international context", addressing a heartfelt thought to those who, in the past, sacrificed their lives in the service of the country, in Italy and in all parts of the world where they were called to work. The “Aosta” brigade will return to the “Land of Cedars” with the colors of the United Nations for the third time, after the missions conducted in 2011 and 2019.
General Tota, greeting the departing contingent, expressed words of thanks to the men and women of Aosta: “You have trained and prepared yourself best to face this task with professionalism and dignity. Lebanon is a country that needs help and that sees Italians as a point of reference. We go to bring peace and we succeed and they recognize it, we go for an important task in which Italy believes. The credit we have in the world is also due to your sacrifices and that of your families who will be close to you ".
