General Giovanni Giostra, former Commander of the 185th Paratroopers Artillery Group ‘Viterbo’, has passed away

As reported by the national site of ANPDI through the words of General Bertolini, during the night between December 28 and 29, Paratrooper General Giovanni Giostra passed away at the age of 95 at the Cisanello Hospital in Pisa. Hospitalized following a severe fall that caused a femur fracture, he departed in silence, as often do men who have traversed history without ever seeking the spotlight.

With his passing, one of the last figures capable of directly connecting the present to the most authentic roots of the Italian paratrooper tradition is gone.

General Giostra was for years an essential point of reference for the ANPDI, within which he held the role of Honorary President of the Livorno Section, but above all for all those who saw in military history not just a simple tale of the past, but a living heritage to be preserved with rigor and respect.

A man of profound military culture, he dedicated an important part of his life to the study and dissemination of the history of the Paratrooper Specialty. He did so with method, precision, and critical spirit, qualities that made him an authoritative and listened-to voice. His conferences, always followed by a large and attentive audience, were never empty celebrations, but opportunities for reflection, deepening, and restoring the rightful dignity to men and units often forgotten by the official post-war narrative.

His commitment was fundamental in keeping alive the memory of numerous episodes of the Liberation War, particularly those involving the units of the reconstituted Royal Army. A precious work, carried out with tenacity, that contributed to restoring balance and historical truth in a period when the account of events was often partial and ideologically oriented.

Those who knew him remember his constant presence at commemorations, gatherings, and patriotic events. Places like Filottrano, Case Grizzano, or Poggio Rusco saw him arrive punctually, year after year, a discreet but fundamental witness of a memory that should not be lost. On those occasions, he never spoke as a protagonist, but as a custodian of a collective history.

Parallel to his cultural activity, General Giostra lived a long and prestigious military career entirely linked to the Paratroopers Brigade “Folgore”. He was commander of the 185th Paratroopers Artillery Group “Viterbo”, a unit that would later give rise to the current 185th Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition Regiment. A transition that represented a great source of pride for him, as it recognized the value of a unit to which he had dedicated years of service.

He later served at the Brigade Command as OAI Office Chief and Deputy Commander, contributing to the doctrinal and training development of the Armed Force. During those years, he transferred into exercises, including the famous “Mangusta”, the experience gained in contacts and courses with the US and British Special Forces, contributing to the professional growth of entire generations of paratroopers.

He concluded his career as Italian Commander of Camp Darby, a position that also marked a personal turning point: there he met Catherine, an officer of the United States Army, with whom he shared years of serene life in Tuscany, until her passing five years ago.

With General Giostra goes a man who embodied values increasingly rare today: sobriety, consistency, sense of duty, love for history, and respect for those who served before him. An officer who never ceased to feel part of the Folgore, even after retirement.

The funeral will be held at the Church of Santa Lucia di Antignano (Livorno) on December 31 at 10:00 AM, a place already the scene of the last farewell to Gen. Viva, in this sad final glimpse of the year.