![Mattarella to the Navy: It is vital to ensure the freedom of the sea Mattarella to the Navy: It is vital to ensure the freedom of the sea](https://media.famigliacristiana.it/2024/6/img_8773_3427492.jpg)
«The war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine, the crisis generated by the Houthi militias in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the terrible conflict between Israel and Hamas, which is causing tens of thousands of victims, have underlined the vital importance of ensuring the freedom of maritime routes and the usability of fundamental critical underwater infrastructures, from energy ones to data transfer ones, to guarantee the life and prosperity of the international community and, within it, of Italy”. Thus the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella greets the Navy on the day it celebrates its own Day, 106 years after Premuda’s feat which, with the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleship Santo Stefano, gave a decisive turning point to the First World War. In Civitavecchia, in the presence of Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Admirals Enrico Credendino, Chief of Staff of the Navy and Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chief of Defense Staff (who painted a clear picture of the challenges that the complexity of today’s situation, in particular on the eastern borders of Europe and in the Red Sea), the men and women in uniform deployed represent, even in a plastic way, the evolution of these years. An evolution which, by making them capable of operating above and below the seas, in the skies and on the ground, guarantees that security “without which there is no freedom, there are no hospitals, there are no schools”, as Minister Crosetto recalled.
«The maritime dimension», Mattarella had further written, «is confirmed as increasingly relevant in the life of peoples, constituting an essential part of the development of freedoms and the security frameworks established to protect them. The contribution of the Navy, with the level of excellence provided in the intertwining of traditions, technology and professionalism, is confirmed as more precious than ever in the current international context”.
During the day the combat flags to the seagoing ships Paolo Thaon di Revel and Francesco Morosini and the gold medals of merit to the retired admiral Francesco Ricci, for having renovated and placed at the service of the city of Taranto the splendid Aragonese castle which overlooks the Mar Piccolo and the Mar Grande, and the Vulcano ship (in the photo), «for its exceptional health care service», as a hospital ship as part of the Levante operation, to patients coming from the Gaza Strip”. The little patients who, thanks to the ship, managed to arrive in Italy with their mothers are also thrilled to hear about the recognition. In all, 62 were assisted by the pediatric hospitals of Gaslini, Meyer and Bambino Gesù… “I am still in contact with some”, confesses the commander Lorenzo Bonicelli della Vite. An operation that the defense minister also remembers “with pride, because even in the worst moment you can think of peace and we didn’t think for a moment about sending a ship with a humanitarian operation task”. A ship, the commander further underlines, «in which, under the single shell of Vulcano, many hearts beat: that of our crew, of the joint forces doctors, of the Catarina staff, of the volunteers of the Rava Foundation, of the cultural mediators… We do a lot things that go unnoticed, this one had a particular impact, even if we did nothing but operate to the best of our ability. We did “normal” things for us, certainly in a particularly difficult context, just consider that we were moored for two months in a non-Italian and non-military port”. An activity particularly praised by all and which, as stated in the motivation with which the honor was conferred, served to provide, without interruption, «health care to patients coming from the Gaza Strip suffering from pathologies or suffering due to serious injuries sustained as a result of the collateral effects of the conflict. The impetus, courage, generosity and extraordinary skill highlighted by the crew of the Vulcano ship”, we read again, “have emphasised, in the global context in the eyes of the international community, the propensity and concrete attitude of the armed force and the Country to pose as credible interlocutor in intervening promptly and effectively to assist those in need while respecting the maritime nature that never leaves anyone behind”.