About Us
- A group of former conscript soldiers, officers, NCOs and civilian personnel who served in FTASE, the Allied Land Forces Southern Europe.
- United by the shared bond of military experience and by the desire to keep alive a strong spirit of comradeship and solidarity.
- Meeting regularly to share stories, remember the moments lived together and keep alive the pride of having served the country.
- Having learned to work as a team, to maintain discipline and to respect the chain of command.
- Having lived unique and intense experiences.
- Trained to defend the nation and its alliances.
- A story made up of men who dedicated a small or large part of their lives to serving the Allied Land Forces Southern Europe.
- A group that is part of the association Le Botteghe d'Italia.
We former FTASE servicemen are proud to have served in FTASE
But time passes, and with it the testimonies of an era that belongs to History risk disappearing.
We were the last conscript soldiers of the Cold War.
We lived through years of tension, sacrifice, service and brotherhood, fortunately without ever having to fire a shot.
Today we are the living memory of that period.
A memory made of men, barracks, shifts, friendships born in uniform and kept alive after decades.
For this reason, every gathering is not just a lunch or a reunion.
It is a piece of history that continues to live.
It is the moral duty not to let what we once were fall into oblivion.
To all former FTASE members: do not wait for “next year”. From the oldest — among us there is even a comrade who did his military service in 1960 — to the youngest, who perhaps today do not yet feel the need to meet again and remember.
Come and meet your comrades again.
Come and keep this shared history alive.
The FTASE Group Participants
Make a donation and support FTASE
Help preserve and share the history of FTASE, the Cold War, and the West Star and Back Yard bunkers. With a donation, historical research, archive preservation, and educational activities dedicated to future generations are supported.
Every contribution counts.
Donate €10 now and become part of this memory.