RAVENNA, ITALY (TIP): Hundreds of families in Italy who were impacted by the war of liberation continue to remember fondly Sikh soldiers who fought as a part of the Anglo-American allied troops.
They eulogize the turbaned Sikh soldiers who travelled thousands of miles away from their homes to make supreme sacrifices for the liberation of a country that was least known to them. Going by the true military regimen, they asked no questions when put on combat duties even in cold and harsh weather conditions on difficult terrains of northern Italy to secure liberation of their territory from the German of the Wehrmacht but also the Italians of the Italian Social Republic. In a war of freedom against the German and some of its own people, those seeking liberation held Sikh soldiers as members of the allied troops as a part of the English colonial elements as their heroes.
And more than 80 years after their liberation, they continue to hold special events to pay their homage to all those Sikh soldiers who never returned home from the war.
One such event was organized in Ravenna – a city in Emilia-Romagna- in the province of Toscana. The memorial service held on September 13 to mark the 81st anniversary of the liberation was organized in true military traditions.
To express their gratitude to the supreme sacrifices of Sikh soldiers, they extended a special invitation to the World Sikh Martyrs Memorial Society.
The Society was represented by its President, Prithipal Singh, and members Satnam Singh, Manjinder Singh Suzaru, Ravinder Singh Bhau and Parminder Singh besides others. Last year, the Society had installed the Sikh identity mark – Khanda Sahib – at the memorial.
The memorial ceremony started with the laying of wreaths at the memorial by members of the Italian military and members of Carabinieri, which is a military police force that also handles civilian policing. They wear dark blue uniforms with red stripes and answer to both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior. During the German regime, the then Carabinieri worked as a part of the State.
The men in uniform first organized an impressive march past and saluted the slain Sikh soldiers.
The Mayor of Gevalia also joined the commemoration parade. While paying tributes to she lauded the selfless and dedicated services of Sikh soldiers and maintained that Italians would never ever forget them.
Freedom fighters and Mayors of nearby towns also joined the memorial parade and the ceremony.
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