Although Italians have long been Highly Respected in Soccer, Race Car Driving, Biking, etc. among others, the Italians recently garnered a suprising (to me) number of International Prizes in various other both Men's and Women's Sports immeasuably enhancing their statue both in Europe and Worldwide.

However, the following report gave me special pleasure, since the Italian Military has been unjustifiably disparaged for WWI & WWII, when in both cases the Military was woefully unprepared, in training, numbers, equipment, supplies, and leadership.

But that mattered little, and when people superficialy wrote about the results,
and bothered little about the heroism, under the most hellish  disadvantages.

Therefore I was pleased to read the following, about the Elite Italian Alpine Corps. 
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Tanks to Italy-News.net --November 6, 2002

ITALIAN PATROL ONCE AGAIN BEST IN WORLD 
IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

The Italian Alpine Patrol proved itself to be the best in the world, and if that weren't enough the second-best is also Italian - the Sassari Patrol. 

The Italian soldiers came out on top in the Cambrian March Patrol competition, the most important of its kind in Great Britain. 

Also competing in the Cambrian were the Allied Special Forces, the American Rangers, and the English Leatherheads. 

Last year, the Italian "Julia" Patrol won the competition hands down, and this year, the Alpine Patrol, or "black feathers" because of the black hawk-feathers they wear in their caps, kept the prize in Italian hands.