Saturday, November 05 2005 @ 03:25 PM MST
Contributed by: River97
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 www.unita.it
Simone Cola, based in Bracciano, Italy, died of wounds on Friday, January 21, 2005, when his aircraft was struck by small arms fire. He was rushed to a military hospital in Nasiriyah where he died shortly after. The aircraft had been on a patrol along the Euphrates river south of Nasiriyah when it drew fire.
Simone Cola, 32 years of age, was married and a father of a five-month-old child. He was assigned to Idra Aviation Regiment It made part of the Italian contingent stationed in Nasiriyah.
The attack was the first of its kind on Italian soldiers in and around Nasiriyah, initial responsibility for the attack has fallen on the men of the radicla shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr.
The helicopter was patrolling the banks of the Euphrates when it was fired apon. At roughly the same time a Portugese patrol came under fire in the same area.
Simone was the right machine gunner in the aircraft. He was struck in the armpit. Once the helicopter was on the ground he was rushed to a military hospital where he died an hour later.
Two days later his body was repatriated to the military airport of Ciampino, Italy
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