Altopascio (LU), October 21 — As part of the celebrations for the anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein, the traditional launch of the War Flags of the Folgore Paratroopers Brigade took place at the “NELLA” Drop Zone. Leading the exit from the aircraft, as “Aquila 1”, was the Brigade Commander, Gen. B. Federico Bernacca, first at the door of the C-130 which, as usual, also boarded the commanders of all the units of the Great Unit and the Flags of the Army Special Forces Division and the Paratrooper Carabinieri. Also on board was the ANPDI National Medal Collection with its non-military personnel.
As reported by the Official website of the National Association of Italian Paratroopers (ANPDI), the day was marked by extremely variable weather, with the fear of a “cancellation” up to an hour before takeoff.
Fear subsided: the paratroopers carried out a series of 12 passes without any problems.
That noisy silence sign of an ancient pact between Men and Flags
On the ground, after recovering the parachutes and regrouping the Flag Groups, the Banners of the units — followed by the ANPDI Medal Collection — paraded to the start of the D.Z.
Here Aquila 1 delivered brief, solemn words, renewing the vow of loyalty to the War Flags, the material guardian of the honor of the units. This was followed by an absolute silence, without announcements or applause, as the C-130 continued its passes and the sky over Altopascio was dotted with green canopies.
The Blessing of the Flags and the Medal Collection, imparted by the Folgore Chaplains, concluded the ceremony in an atmosphere of intense emotion.
ANPDI at the forefront with the Medal Collection
ANPDI was finally able to escort its national Medal Collection to the launch with a regular member as standard-bearer, Alberto Benatti (Mantova Section), and an associate member, Nicola Trusiani (Director of the ANPDI Sports Center, Rome Section). Upon landing, the two were welcomed by the ANPDI National President, Gen. C.A. Marco Bertolini.
The day before, at CAPAR, an intense training session was held for the ANPDI personnel, using all the structures (trolley, behavior stage, tower, false fuselage): a review as challenging as it was exciting, which allowed the launch to be faced without any inconvenience and once again confirmed the professionalism and dedication of the CAPAR personnel.
The participation has a strong symbolic value: since 2020 the Medal Collection was entrusted to the launch to members in service in the airborne troops, active military personnel, a solution that allowed the ritual to be preserved even in the most complex moments. The return of non-military members is an additional sign of normalization, which adds to other positive indicators — including the outcomes sanctioned by the Council of State ruling — towards resolving the challenges faced in recent years.
The Association expressed on its official page (www.assopar.it) a heartfelt thanks to the Army General Staff and the “Folgore” Paratroopers Brigade for the opportunity offered: a small step that could foster new opportunities in the future, in the wake of eight decades of tradition.
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