Airman takes part in historic ceremony

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Michael O'Connor
  • 31st Fighter Wing public affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Thirty-three years in the making, the town of Forgaria nel Friuli, Italy, finally opened its doors to the town church, San Lorenzo Martire, during a dedication ceremony and holy mass Aug. 9, 2009. 

The opening of the church brings closure to a project spanning more than three decades to rebuild all the churches in the region damaged by the earthquakes which hit the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region May through September 1976. 

Col. Donald Cole, 31st Medical Group deputy commander, attended the ceremony and mass representing the 31st Fighter Wing, as well as the Airmen of the former 40th Tactical Group who were stationed at Aviano Air Base during the quakes of 1976. The men and women of the 40th TG were among the first to spring into action to clear debris, rescue and treat the injured and help the area communities rebuild. 

The town of Forgaria and many others in the region were leveled by a series of major earthquakes measuring as high as 6.9 on the Richter scale. According to reports, these major quakes and countless aftershocks, rattled the people of the FVG region, killing more than 900 people, injuring more than 2,400 and leaving 45,000-plus homeless.  A week after the initial May 6, 1976 quake, the former U.S. vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, visited the region pledging U.S. support in rebuilding the area.  On June 1, 1976, the U.S. Congress appropriated $25 million to aid Italy's reconstruction effort.

Monsignor Pietro Brollo, bishop of Udine, officiated the first holy mass in the newly rebuilt San Lorenzo Martire Church. Don Paolo Scapin, priest of Forgaria; Regional Alderman Roberto Molinaro; and Pierluigi Molinaro, mayor of Forgaria, were among the distinguished visitors who attended the event with the townspeople.