By Ministerial Decree # 1090 dated March 12, 2012, first corporal Ivan Costantini, born on October 20, 1986 in Pitigliano (Grosseto), and was awarded the Silver Cross of merit of the army with the following motivation: "Rifleman parachutist helped with abilities to ensure a high level of protection to his fellow soldiers. In particular, while his squad was subjected to an ambush, did not hesitate to replace the Chief weapon of your vehicle, temporarily neutralized, and to respond immediately to the fire with machine gun on board dismissing the threat. This action allowed the release of unit without losses. Magnificent figure of a soldier and a clear example of devotion to duty and high professionalism, contributed to increase the prestige of the army in the international arena. " -Kabul (Afghanistan), 11 May-31 October 2009.