HISTORY

OF THE


ARMED FORCES OF MALTA

SPECIAL ORDER OF THE DAY

BY

BRIGADIER C.M. GAFFIERO

COMMANDER ARMED FORCES OF MALTA


29 ta' Settembru, 1995

25 ANNIVERSARJU TAL-FORZI ARMATI TA' MALTA

Fil-jum tal-ewwel ta' Ottubru 1995, il-Forzi Armati ta' Malta jiccelebraw il-hamsa u ghoxrin anniversarju mit-twaqqif taghhom.

F'dan l-ahhar kwart ta' seklu, il-Forzi Armati taghna ghaddew minn transizzjoni fejn minn regiment ta' artillerija, parti mill-ezercitu tar-Renju Unit, qalbu ghall-qawwa armata zghira taht ir-responsabbilta' tal-Gvern Malti.

Il-bidla gabet maghha cirkostanzi differenti u dmirijiet hafna drabi diversi minn dawk li konna abitwati fihom fil-passat. Kien hemm il-bzonn li nibdew naqdu htigijiet godda li kienu necessarji ghall-pajjiz u li nwaqqfu sisien godda biex fuqhom nibnu l-Forzi Armati nazzjonali tal-gejjieni.

Ghandi pjacir nghid illi bl-isforzi, il-hidma, id-dedikazzjoni u r-rieda tajba tal-membri kollha taghna f'dawn l-ahhar 25 sena, dan l-impenn twettaq b'mod mill-aktar sodisfacenti, u nikkonsidra li lhaqna stadju fejn il-livell ta' amministrazzjoni, tahrig, dixxiplina w efficjenza fil-Forzi Armati jweghdu gejjieni tajjeb, imsejjes fuq bazi soda.

Nixtieq, f'din l-okkazjoni storika, nirringrazzja lill-membri kollha tal-Forzi Armati ta' Malta ghas-sehem taghhom fil-kisbiet li twettqu f'dawn l-ahhar 25 sena u ninkoraggihom ikomplu fit-triq tajba li qabdu sabiex jikber il-progress, l-efficjenza u l-kontribut tal-Forzi Armati lejn art twelidna.

C.M. Gaffiero
Brigadier
Kap Kmandant

This PAGE is dedicated to all the officers and men who have served, are serving and will serve in the future.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none to much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

FOREWARD

In order to understand what is to follow, it should be understood that this is not an erudite and detailed Military History, it is a celebration of a Silver Anniversary and a collection of events and reminiscence gathered from a variety of sources. It is not the work of any one person but a team effort, and the team sincerely hopes that this short history will provide as much pleasure and perhaps a little nostalgia to the reader as the team enjoyed producing it.

PART 1: PERIOD 1970 - 1975

PART 2: REFORMS - MALTA PIONEER CORPS

PART 3: PERIOD 1980 - 1985

PART 4: PERIOD 1990 - 1995

PART 5: COMMANDERS OF THE M.L.F. AND A.F.M. (PERIOD 1965 - 1996)

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last modified: April 1997