TEN
At the end of June, they held a celebration to mark the end of basic training. It was an occasion for you to reap the rewards of what you had sown. This time, you gained Italian recognition of your skills, represented by a stripe they placed on your uniform sleeve, removing you to a more privileged world than the rest of the recruits, who didn’t have stripes on their sleeves. The celebration coincided with a visit from Marshal Balbo, the Italian governor of Libya. You were lucky to shake his hand and have your picture taken with him as he handed you the stripe. Thus, your induction to the army was completed by the most important figure in the country, constituting veritable proof of your ascent.
From that day on, you became a member of the highest circle. It was no longer merely an i
