"The 2024 Army calendar does not intend to 'rehabilitate fascism' at all, on the contrary."
Thus the Ministry of Defense responds to the controversy over the publication.
"The calendar - continues via XX Settembre - is part of a historical trilogy which aims to highlight exclusively the commitment and value of the Italians and our soldiers in the War of Liberation, in the awareness that, like those of that time, today's soldiers too, with the oath who lend, are committed to serving the country and its republican institutions".
"Many soldiers, who survived three years of very harsh war, had no doubts, after 8 September 1943, about what their duty was and what position the Italian Army had to take - specifies the Defense -. Not surprisingly, all soldiers present in the Calenda Army 2024 were chosen because their courage was an example both before the armistice and, with equal commitment and determination, during the War of Liberation, fighting in the ranks of the Royal Army or of the partisan formations, up to the extreme sacrifice. Just read the motivations of awarding of the Gold Medals for Military Valour".
"The 'before and after' of 8 September 1943 therefore indicates the coherence and value of the courageous commitment of those who chose to serve the homeland, honoring the oath taken, up to the sacrifice of their lives or continuing, despite the danger, to fight for rebirth of Italy. This is the spirit of the Army Calendar 2024! - concludes the note -. Political controversies and ideological prejudices are foreign to the armed forces. It is no coincidence that, in the calendar, those who were decorated before the armistice received an even more important and prestigious honor for what was done after 8 September; the ideals and values that animated them were the same: those of the oath to the homeland and to the institutions".
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