The Prefect of Brindisi awards Colonel Carlo Calcagni the “International Missions Veteran” medal

On Wednesday morning, at the Brindisi Prefecture headquarters, His Excellency the Prefect, Dr. Guido Aprea, will officially award Colonel Carlo Fabio Marcello Calcagni of the Italian Army’s Honorary Reserve the Medal of Merit for “Veteran of International Missions.”

The award was granted by the Ministry of Defense, pursuant to Resolution No. 205 of July 29, 2026, conferring upon Colonel Calcagni the honorary title of “Veteran of International Missions” and the authorization to wear the corresponding Medal of Merit.

For Colonel Calcagni, this medal represents much more than an award. It represents the memory of service rendered far from home, of international missions undertaken in uniform, and of a personal history in which a sense of duty has continued to coexist with profound trials.

“This medal comes after a lifetime dedicated to service and holds a meaning for me that goes far beyond the material value of the decoration. It is recognition of a part of my history, but also of the history of so many men and women who, like me, have served and represented Italy with honor in international missions.”

Colonel Calcagni wishes to dedicate this moment above all to those who shared those missions and to their families: “I do not consider this medal mine alone. I consider it a collective recognition. Behind every soldier deployed on a mission is a family that waits, enduring worries, sacrifices, and separation. That is why today I want to share this moment with all of them.”

The ceremony therefore takes on special significance right here at the Prefecture of Brindisi, in the presence of Prefect Dr. Guido Aprea, as the State’s representative in the region.

For Calcagni, this recognition is part of a journey in which service, suffering, sports, and the ability to keep fighting have become inseparable parts of the same story.

“I’ve learned that a medal doesn’t erase what has been. But it can transform memory into responsibility. The responsibility to continue bearing witness, to not forget, and to remember that behind every uniform there is a person, with their own story, their own sacrifices, and their own battles.”

Today, therefore, it is not just a medal that is being awarded. A memory is being passed on. And that memory will live on. “Never give up. Despite everything and everyone. No matter what the cost.”