YEAR OF BIRTH: 1957
MILITARY SERVICE: 1979 – 1980 (with recalls in 1992 and 2002)
ASSIGNMENT: “Udine” Mountain Artillery Group, “Conegliano” Mountain Artillery Group, Friuli Venezia Giulia Army Military Command
LOCATION: Tolmezzo (UD), Trieste
ROLE: Conscripted Officer Cadet (AUC), Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant, and Captain of Mountain Artillery
Mauro Depetroni was born in Trieste in 1957 into a family with roots in Capodistria (Koper). In 1979, he travelled to Foligno to attend the 94th Conscripted Officer Cadet Course at the School for Artillery Officers and NCOs (SAUSA), where, following an intensive period of training and instruction, he specialised in Mountain Artillery.
After completing the course, he returned to Friuli Venezia Giulia and was assigned to the “Udine” Mountain Artillery Group of the “Julia” Alpini Brigade. He was discharged from military service in 1980 and subsequently entered the private sector.
In 1992, he was recalled to service in preparation for a possible mission in the Balkans during the Yugoslav Wars, receiving training for peacekeeping and peacemaking operations. This recall allowed him to observe the ongoing transformation of the armed forces, including the introduction of new technologies and training methods following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He was recalled again in 2002, at the time when compulsory military service in Italy was coming to an end, and encountered the new generation of professional volunteer soldiers who would shape the future structure of the Italian Armed Forces.
After returning to civilian life, he became actively involved in initiatives promoted by the National Alpini Association and cultivated a strong interest in military history, with particular attention to the Italian deployment on the Eastern Front in WW2 and the lesser-known history of the 156th Infantry Division “Vicenza.” He has been awarded the honours of Knight of the Italian Republic and Master of Labour.
