The city of Naples pays tribute to one of the highest symbols of the value and spirit of Italian Paratroopers. In fact, the new headquarters of the Associazione Nazionale Paracadutisti d’Italia (ANPDI) was inaugurated at Via Cesario Console 20 in the Campania capital, dedicated to Lieutenant Colonel Paratrooper Gianfranco Paglia, Gold Medal for Military Valor.
A dedication that links historical memory to the present, in the name of the continuity of the values that have always distinguished the maroon berets.
The ceremony was also attended by Senator Isabella Rauti, Undersecretary of Defense, who wanted to testify with her participation to the institutional and symbolic importance of the event. The same Senator was also appointed Paratrooper ad honorem last October by the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Carmine Masiello, confirming her strong bond with the Folgore.
A symbol for the Paratrooper community
Often recounted on these pages, also for his extraordinary sporting achievements, the latest being the record at the “2 Hours No Limits” on December 20, the name of Gianfranco Paglia remains indissolubly linked to the events of July 2, 1993, during the Battle of the Pasta Factory in Mogadishu, as part of the UN operation UNOSOM II in Somalia.
At the time a young Second Lieutenant and Paratrooper Platoon Commander, Paglia was seriously injured during the first major combat of Italian soldiers since World War II. In that event, three Italian soldiers lost their lives: Second Lieutenant Andrea Millevoi, Sergeant Major Incursore Stefano Paolicchi, and Corporal Paratrooper Pasquale Baccaro. There were also 31 wounded.
An episode that represents one of the most intense and painful pages in the history of Italian missions abroad, but also a concrete testimony of courage, spirit of service, and sense of duty.
The dedication of the ANPDI headquarters in Naples to Lieutenant Colonel Paglia is not just a formal act, but a gesture full of meaning for the entire Paratrooper community. The Neapolitan section of the ANPDI is indeed a living and active point of reference in the area, a place where memory becomes testimony and values are passed on to new generations.
To dedicate the headquarters to Commander Paglia means to recognize his human and military example, which continues to represent a model for those who wear or have worn the maroon beret.
Memory, identity, and esprit de corps
The ANPDI once again confirms itself as a fundamental stronghold for the preservation of collective memory and the strengthening of the spirit of belonging.
Being a paratrooper is not just a past condition, but an identity that continues over time, made of shared values, brotherhood, and a sense of duty.
The choice to dedicate the Naples headquarters to Lieutenant Colonel Gianfranco Paglia represents precisely this: a living, dynamic memory, capable of speaking to the present and indicating a direction for the future.
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