FAB Patrol Aviation celebrated its 81st anniversary on May 22nd
Air Force Agency, by Lieutenant Johny Lucas
The military ceremony celebrating the 81st anniversary of the Patrol Aviation of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), celebrated on May 22, was held on Tuesday (May 30), at the Belém Air Base (BABE), in the state of Pará.
The event was presided by the Commander of the Air Force, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno, who was welcomed by the Commander of BABE, Air Colonel Rodrigo Goretti Piedade.
In the occasion, the Aeronautics Commander and longest serving active duty patrolman highlighted the importance of the ceremony for the military institution. “Being here, together with a great part of the Aeronautics Command, with the future perspectives of our patrol aviation, is undoubtedly an encouragement for the Officers that have within their routine this expectation of flying with increasingly better and more technological equipment,” he highlighted.
During the ceremony, the Commander of the Air Force, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Damasceno, accompanied by the Preparations Commander, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Sergio Roberto de Almeida; the Northern Military Commander, Army General Luciano Guilherme Cabral Pinheiro the Commander of the 4th Naval District, Vice-Admiral Antonio Capistrano de Freitas Filho, and the President of the Brazilian Association of Patrol Aviation Equipments (ABRAPAT), Major-Brigadier Carlos Eurico Peclat dos Santos, performed the traditional laying of flowers at the bust of the Patron of Patrol Aviation, Air Major Brigadier Dionysio Cerqueira Taunay.
“The combative and warrior spirit of the patrol heroes was recorded in epic stories, such as the experiences of Air Major Brigadier Dionísio Cerqueira de Taunay, Patron of Patrol Aviation, and the countless missions accomplished by Air Major Ivo Gastaldoni, among so many men who gave their best, risking their lives for the defense of the Homeland,” highlighted the Preparatory Commander when reading the Patrol Aviation Day Order.
The Commander of the First Squadron of the Seventh Aviation Group (1°/7°GAV) – Orungan Squadron, Lieutenant-Colonel Aviator Cicero Vieira Ramos, awarded with the Brigadeiro Nero Moura Operational Merit Medal, thanked FAB for receiving the Commendation. “I feel very happy to receive this Commendation that represents such an important personality of the Brazilian Air Force, such as Brigadier Nero Moura,” he said.
Also present at the solemnity were the Commander of Aerospace Operations, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Hudson Costa Potiguara; the Director-General of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Maurício Augusto Silveira de Medeiros; the Secretary of Economics, Finance and Administration of the Aeronautics, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Ricardo Augusto Fonseca Neubert; the Director-General of the Department of Airspace Control, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Alcides Teixeira Barbacovi; the Northern Military Commander, Army General Luciano Guilherme Cabral Pinheiro; Air Lieutenant Brigadier Dirceu Tondolo Noro; Active Generals and Veterans of the Brazilian Navy, Brazilian Army and Air Force; former Commanders of the former 9th Air Wing, BABE and Squadrons of the Brazilian Air Force; of the BABE and of the Patrol Aviation Air Squadrons; Chiefs, Directors, Commanders and Mayor of Military Organizations of the Air Force; representatives of the Executive Branch, and Graduated-Master of the Air Force Garrison of Belém.
Brigadeiro Nero Moura Operational Merit Medal
The Brigadeiro Nero Moura Operational Merit Medal was established by decree number 7,085, January 29, 2010, on the occasion of the celebrations of the Centenary of Birth of Brigadier Nero Moura.
With the focus of praising the unique figure of the Leader and of the Operational Commander, it is a distinction granted to military personnel of the Air Force Command, who hold the position of commander of an air unit, for their conduct in favor of the operationality of their organization and of the Brazilian Air Force.
History
May 22nd, 1942 is a landmark date for Patrol Aviation. During World War II, the “Baptism of Fire” recalls the bombing of the Italian submarine Barbarigo by a Patrol Aircraft.
Today, through the Netuno (3rd/7th GAV) Squadrons, located in Belém (PA); the Orungan (1st/7th GAV) Squadron, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ); and the Phoenix (2nd/7th GAV) Squadron, in Canoas (RS), the patrolmen are responsible for keeping watch, 24 hours a day, over an area of approximately 13.5 million square kilometers along the Brazilian coast.
Photos: Sergeant Müller Marin / CECOMSAER – Video: Private Laube / CECOMSAER