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    173rd Airborne paratroopers honor US-Italian WWII sacrifices

    173rd Airborne paratroopers honor US-Italian World War II sacrifices

    Photo By Sgt. A.M. LaVey | Italian veterans stand side-by-side American paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne...... read more read more

    VICENZA, ITALY

    05.04.2015

    Story by Sgt. A.M. LaVey 

    173rd Airborne Brigade

    VICENZA, Italy — Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade honored World War II U.S. and Italian sacrifices during three days of ceremonies in the Verona region April 30 through May 2, 2015.

    The first event was a 40-mile hike up the western coast of Lake Garda where Col. William O. Darby, founder of the modern U.S. Army rangers, died April 30, 1945, along with men from the U.S. 10th Mountain Division, who fought their way up the lake during World War II.

    About 100 U.S. service members and their families, as well as American veterans and members of the local community participated in the 40-mile hike. Following the hike there was a ceremony attended by members of the commune of Nago-Torbole and local veterans groups.

    “Col. Darby was a true American hero and a paragon of American courage, honor, commitment and belief in selfless service,” said Col. Robert Menist, commander, U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza, at a remembrance ceremony in Torbole, May 2. “These same virtues bind our [Italian-American] alliance today.”

    The following day, members of the 173rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion traveled to the village of Ponti sul Mincio, just south of the lake, to attend another day’s worth of ceremonies honoring the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Italy. The medieval town is known as the location of one of the last battles of World War II on Italian soil, the Battle of Monte Casale, and each year the community remember the sacrifices of those who fought and died there.

    “Every year [this town] conducts a ceremony to remember the actions and to thank the Americans for their services liberating the village during the second World War,” said Howard Leibovich, with the U.S. Army Mission Support Element - Vicenza, who helped coordinate American attendance at the event.

    After a ceremony in the town square, members of the community, along with representatives from the Italian army, Carabinieri and veterans groups processed up the mountain to conduct a memorial service, and then to a shared luncheon.

    “We not only honor the service given by our comrades, but also to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of one of the most destructive are of our two nations,” said 1st Lt. Adam Porritt, a platoon leader with Company D, 173rd BSTB, and the American officer in charge. “We are proud to do so side-by-side with our Italian allies.”

    The last ceremony, held again at the north shore of Lake Garda, in Torbole, was organized by Larry Pisoni, born Italian and now a naturalized American, of the Thank You America Foundation, to honor the work of American and allied Soldiers who liberated Italy from Italian fascists and their Nazi collaborators.

    “It is an obligation to honor the Americans who liberated Italy,” said Pisoni. “While I may be old enough to remember things from the war, there are those who tried to cover up all the good works that the Americans and allied Soldiers did. Well, the truth needs to come out: that if it hadn’t been for the Americans here in Italy, history would’ve been changed forever.”

    The ceremony was attended by local Italian veterans, as well as the region’s political representatives, who recognized the need for Pisoni’s mission of remembrance.

    “These remembrances gain value as time passes,” said Luca Civettini, the mayor of Nago-Torbole. “The danger of the future is that our children may forget, our grandchildren may forget and we might forget what it means to live through a war. Today we are reminded that the sacrifices for our freedom are not in vain.”

    For the young American paratroopers who attended, this message was not lost on them.

    “Today we are here to honor the Soldiers who came before us and to honor the alliance between Italy and the USA,” said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Constantino, executive officer, Company D, 173rd BSTB. “It is important for us to know our shared history and to remember the peace that began here 70 years ago.”

    The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct a full range of military operations across the U.S. European, Central and Africa Command's areas of responsibility.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.04.2015
    Date Posted: 05.05.2015 04:15
    Story ID: 162232
    Location: VICENZA, IT
    Hometown: TORBOLE, IT
    Hometown: VERONA, IT

    Web Views: 399
    Downloads: 0

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