The Royal Air Force was born on March 28, 1923, which gave way to the Air Force in 1946. 97 years of history that the Armed Force celebrates today, in consideration of the ongoing emergency, without any military ceremony and official event, but honoring the flag and joining forces to offer their contribution to the country in this moment of serious difficulty.
"Today, in a particularly difficult moment in our history", said the Air Force Chief of Staff, general of the air force Alberto Rosso in his video message, "the best way to celebrate our 97th anniversary is to simply do our duty with service and responsibility. Service and responsibility I think are the two words that must distinguish the work of all the men and women of the Armed Force, but also the two values that each citizen must have in mind to face this moment of difficulty ".
A commitment, that for the Coronavirus emergency, which has seen the Air Force engaged for several weeks and on different fronts, from the repatriation of compatriots from China and Japan to the transport of patients in bio-containment, with aircraft and crews ready to leave in a very short time to support the hospitals in Northern Italy most engaged at this time, the transport of medical equipment and material at the request of the Civil Protection, in addition to the use of military medical personnel and team specialized in logistics. This is only the most visible part, the one in the front line, of the contribution that the Armed Force is making available to the country, within the broader framework, strongly desired by the Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini for the ongoing emergency. Behind each of these activities and capabilities there is an operational and logistical structure that guarantees the necessary support, at the same time as the constant action aimed at ensuring the essential services and institutional tasks assigned to the Armed Force.
"I indiscriminately thank the doctors and nurses, employed on the front line, as well as all the staff of the Departments who, on the ground or in flight, are guaranteeing emergency medical transport or bio-containment of people in danger of life, staff and materials at home and abroad, ensuring the management of all emergency-related activities",stressed the general Red addressing in particular to the Air Force personnel engaged in the front line in emergency support activities, highlighting the exceptional work that these departments are doing to contain Coronavirus, together with all the other public, private, military and civilian realities in the country .
A thank you ideally extended to all the staff who are operating both in Italy and outside national borders, which continues to carry out a fundamental service of contribution to peace and security in the world. "Today we are the protagonists of a page not happy with our history", concluded the Air Force Chief of Staff, "let's live it with a sense of responsibility, with a spirit of service, with seriousness and with the availability to work together. In this way we honor our flag, our history, our country and, when the epidemic is over, we can be proud to have overcome it together ".
A 2020 marked by important historical recurrences, first of all the centenary of the proclamation of the Madonna Di Loreto as "Patroness of the Aeronauts". Exactly one hundred years ago, on March 24, 1920, Pope Benedict XV signed the Papal Bull with which the Blessed Virgin of Loreto became Patron Saint, thus welcoming the wishes of the pilots of the First World War. As a sign of solidarity, the charity initiative “A gift from heaven” is ongoing throughout the year in support of the pediatric hospitals Gaslini in Genoa, Santobono Pausilipon in Naples and Bambino Gesù in Rome with pediatric capital goods.
Another important centenary, in 2020, is that of the extraordinary aviation enterprise of Masiero and Ferrarin: on February 14, 1920, with the take-off of the two SVA9 biplanes from the Centocelle field, what will be remembered over the years as the Rome Raid began - Tokyo, a record that will be conquered with the arrival in the Japanese capital on May 31, 1920 after a distance of over 18.000 km in 112 hours of flight.
In the same year in which the Italian Air Force celebrates its 97th anniversary, the twentieth anniversary of the entry of women into the Armed Forces and the 60th acrobatic season of the Frecce Tricolori, an undisputed symbol of the ability to make a team of the entire Italian Air Force, occur; recurrences - these too - with a strong symbolic value, testifying to a commitment and evolution that have never stopped over the years. An Armed Force naturally devoted to technological innovation but at the same time strongly linked to the traditions and values of passion, dedication, spirit of sacrifice that daily guide the work of men and women who are part of it. 97 years of history that have seen the men and women of the Air Force engaged throughout the national territory for the defense and security of the country, but also a lot in distant countries to safeguard international security. Among the most significant commitments of the Armed Force, we remember the recent participation of the F-35s in the operation of Air Policing in Iceland, the first carried out to safeguard the airspace of the Alliance with 5th generation aircraft, the return to Antarctica of the Air Force aircraft and crews to support the 35th Italian Scientific Expedition, and certainly the mission Beyond, recently concluded, which saw the pilot colonel Luca Parmitano become the first Italian commander of the International Space Station.
Yesterday as today, the personnel and aircraft of the Air Force are busy, day and night, to carry out the main task of the Armed Force, that is to defend the Italian airspace, ensuring constant surveillance and protection of the national skies, but at the at the same time guaranteeing a multiplicity of other services for the community including air search and rescue, meteorological service and air traffic control. These are just some of the other multiple operational capabilities that the Armed Forces deploy at home and abroad every day.