WASHINGTON - The day of celebrations for the centenary of the Italian Air Force in Washington, on March the 28th, ended with a reception hosted by the Italian Embassy in Washington and organized by the Office of the Defense Attaché, attended by representatives of the Armed Forces and the US Department of State and representatives of allied and partner countries.
"We could not 'fly towards the future' if not together with our closest and strongest ally, the United States", highlighted the Italian ambassador to the USA, Mariangela Zappia, paraphrasing the slogan chosen for the celebrations and recalling the cornerstones of the collaboration between Italy and the United States in the aeronautical and aerospace fields.
The secretary of the American Air Force, Frank Kendall, intervened along the same lines, enhancing the bilateral defense partnership and the commitment of the Italian air force and all the armed forces of our country within NATO, also with the activities of air policing in Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Defense Attaché in Washington, General Maurizio Cantiello, recalled the main goals achieved by the Italian Air Force in its first 100 years, highlighting how many of them were achieved together with the United States.
The celebrations in Washington began with a flag-raising ceremony at the Embassy and the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Military Cemetery, a ceremony enriched by the passage of four US Air Force airplanes piloted by 8 pilots Italians engaged as instructors at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.
(aise)
