Today, in Milan, the 208th Annual Foundation of the Carabinieri was celebrated which, after the forced break due to the pandemic emergency, this year was divided into two days full of appointments.
During the whole day of Sunday 5 June, at the ex-Reale Piazzetta, an exhibition was held with an array of past and contemporary vehicles, as well as historical and current uniforms, such as that of the Radio Nucleus complete with tasers, on display in shop windows located in the city center.
On the morning of Monday 6 June, the key ceremonies of the anniversary of the Carabinieri Foundation Annual took place, with the deposition, by the Commander of the Interregional Command "Pastrengo", General of the Army Corps Gino Micale , and the Commander of the “Lombardia” Carabinieri Legion, Division General Andrea Taurelli Salimbeni, of a laurel wreath at the “Al Carabiniere” monument, located in Piazza Diaz.
The celebrations then continued at the Arco della Pace, where the military ceremony took place, during which the Interregional Commander, in the presence of the Mayor of Milan, dr. Giuseppe Sala, of the Prefect of Milan, dr. Renato Saccone, and the highest institutional, military and religious offices and representatives of the National Carabinieri Association and the National Forestry Association, read the message from the President of the Republic and the Agenda of the Commander General. In his speech, then, the Interregional Commander wanted to thank the city authorities who allowed the Carabinieri to celebrate this anniversary in a symbolic place of the city, with such an evocative name, PACE, "a term that we have learned not to take it for granted now that our daily lexicon unfortunately includes words like war and enemy that seemed so distant to us, in space and time ”.
He then wanted to emphasize how important it is to celebrate this anniversary in an open space, close to the community, in particular that of Milan, which has always stood out all over the world "for its brilliance, for its rare innovative capacity and for an extraordinary propensity to create value". The commitment of the Arma, underlined the Commander of the Pastrengo, “is to allow this generous community to live and thrive in safety. This is our mission and we must never forget it ”. In his speech, General Mycale also dwelt on the militarity of the Carabinieri, “a distinctive figure that, combined with the police functions of general competence, makes us typical. A typicality that has developed within a coordination model, which represents the common home that welcomes the incessant commitment of the Prefects and the Police Forces. A typicality that was further qualified with the absorption of the Forestry and which translates into a professionalism of excellence recognized and appreciated also abroad ".
The General also wanted to celebrate the memory of General Dalla Chiesa, the historic Commander of the Pastrengo, whose forty years since his sacrifice falls this year.
The rewards for particular merits were then given to the Carabinieri who distinguished themselves in their daily activities, and some of the most deserving Carabinieri Station Commanders were awarded, in recognition of the dedication and professionalism offered to the command of their respective departments.