OMRI 2025 Honors: Italy awards General Cavoli and the partisan paratrooper Paola Del Din
As per tradition, the President of the Republic has awarded the honors of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (OMRI), published in the Official Journal of 9 April 2025. Among the notable names are two symbolic figures from worlds that are only apparently distant: on one side, the American General Christopher Gerard Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR); on the other hand, the Friulian partisan Paola Del Din, already awarded the gold medal for military valor, now decorated with the highest OMRI rank.
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The OMRI, established by law in 1951, represents the highest honor of the Republic. It is intended to recognize merits towards the Nation acquired in the fields of culture, arts, economy, public function, social and - as in this case - in services rendered in Civil and military careersThe Order is divided into six degrees: Knight, Official, Commander, Grand Officer, Knight Grand Cross and, in very rare cases, Grand Cordon.
It does not confer material advantages or formal privileges: its importance is exclusively moral and symbolic. The honorifics are conferred twice a year, on June 2 (Republic Day) and December 27 (anniversary of the Constitution), and published in the Official Gazette.
General Cavoli: The Face of Euro-Atlantic Security
Born in Germany in 1964 to an Italian-American family, Christopher Cabbage is one of the most authoritative personalities in the Western military landscape. After leading the United States European Command, he was appointed in 2022 SACRE, or Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the military operational summit of NATO.
By decree of 20 February 2025, the general was awarded the title of Grand Officer of the Order OMRI, in recognition of the key role it plays in military cooperation between Italy and the Atlantic Alliance. Its constant presence in the main strategic theaters, its diplomatic capacity in multinational coordination and its support for the modernization of the European armed forces are elements that have led the Italian authorities to publicly recognize its contribution.
This award does not only have a symbolic value, but also represents a political message of closeness between Rome and Brussels, in a period marked by geopolitical tensions and a renewed collective commitment to European defence.
Paola Del Din: Honoring the Living Memory of the Resistance
If Cavoli represents the continuity of transatlantic security, Paola Del Din embodies the founding spirit of the Italian Republic. Born in 1923, from Friuli, she was partisan in the Osoppo Brigade, first Italian female paratrooper, agent of the British SOE, and protagonist of heroic actions behind Nazi lines during the Second World War.
In 2025, at the age of 101, he received the honor of Knight Grand Cross, the highest ordinary rank available to living Italian citizens. The decoration seals a life spent serving freedom and historical memory.
His figure returned to the centre of international attention on 9 April, when King Charles III he solemnly cited her in his speech to the Italian Parliament, recalling her courage and fundamental role in the Resistance. “I know that on this day we are all thinking of Paola, who is now 101 years old, and we pay homage to her courage,” declared the sovereign, celebrating her as “the only gold medal for military valor of the Resistance still alive.”
Del Din was trained in London by the British services and parachuted into Friuli in the spring of 1945. Previously, she had already crossed the front to deliver secret documents to the Allied Command. Her action was fundamental to the success of the “Bigelow” operations, and her name has remained linked to values such as honor, intelligence and determination.
Just to name a few decorated military men
Alongside Cavoli and Del Din, numerous officers of the Italian Armed Forces have been awarded various degrees of the OMRI. Among these, we mention:
- Army Corps Gen. Salvatore Luongo, appointed Knight Grand Cross November 13, 2024. One of the greatest figures of Italian defense, General Luongo has held strategic and top positions with dedication and rigor.
- Brigadier General Rino Coppola, Brigadier General Stefano Cotugno e Brigadier General Marco Nasi, all decorated with the rank of Grand Officer March 12, 2025. The recognition confirms the quality of Italian military leadership, capable of combining field operations and institutional vision.
These names, although representing only a portion of those decorated, are indicative of the commitment, preparation and loyalty that distinguish the personnel of the Armed Forces, at home and abroad.
An act of justice and gratitude
The OMRI 2025 honors give back a picture of an Italy that resists, that protects and that remembers. A Republic that looks to the future without forgetting the past, and that recognizes the value of both its allies and its sons and daughters who defended freedom with their lives.
The tribute to Cavoli and Del Din, although coming from distant experiences, converges on a single principle: serving freedom is the highest honor.
Published by Condoralex
Born Alessandro Generotti, C.le Maj. Parachutist on leave. Military Parachutist Patent no. 192806. 186th RGT Par. Folgore/5th BTG. Par. El Alamein/XIII Cp. Par. Condor.
Founder and administrator of the website BRIGATAFOLGORE.NET. Blogger and computer scientist by profession.
