Interview from 1993, Taken from EPOCA
The Paratrooper Sergeant Major Giampiero Monti participated in the Italian mission in Somalia with his own Regiment, the 183rd "Nembo". On July 2, 1993, he was on the VCC hit by the RPG rocket where Paratrooper Pasquale Baccaro lost his life.
The same rocket hit him in the abdomen, causing him a serious injury. Here, in a few words, is how he describes those moments.
- Have you ever had second thoughts about your life choice?
"I have never had second thoughts, I always knew that a situation like Mogadishu could happen. Our job does not involve calm situations, for those there are other organizations."
- What did you think while waiting for help?
"When I was lying on the ground, my life flashed before my eyes. My abdomen was in pieces and I wanted to be home with my family. The smell I sensed was theirs."
Silver Medal for Military Valor to Giampiero Monti
Non-commissioned officer commanding a paratrooper squad, part of the Italian contingent sent to Somalia as part of the humanitarian operation desired by the United Nations, participated with his unit in the sweep of a Mogadishu neighborhood. During the subsequent fighting, treacherously provoked by Somali militiamen, while from aboard the armored vehicle of which he was the tank commander he coordinated his squad, he was targeted by sniper fire but, undaunted, continued the action. Following the explosion of an anti-tank rocket that hit the vehicle he was operating on, he suffered serious injuries in several parts of his body, which also caused permanent impairments. Although bleeding profusely, with incomparable strength of spirit he continued to reassure and direct the men entrusted to him, until exhausted he collapsed to the ground and was transported to a hospital in Mogadishu. A clear example of the highest sense of duty, elevated courage, and admirable spirit of sacrifice.
Mogadishu, July 2, 1993
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