From 7 to 11 September I had the good fortune to be in Innsbruck for the 31st Congress of the IFMS and I did not know what to expect as the only Mountain Soldiers I had met beforehand were the Italian Alpini with whom I have had close ties for several years. From the beginning I had been impressed by them and I agree with General Frido von Senger und Etterlin, Commander of the XIV Panzer Corps in World War II, who described them as follows “In Piedmont there were also many alpine units, the best that the Italian Army could produce---proud, quiet, outwardly not very disciplined troops, but reliable types, brought up the hard way, accustomed to camping in the eternal snows with only the barest supplies. They were magnificent soldiers, to whose pride and modesty I paid tribute whenever I happened to encounter an Alpino”.

I came to Innsbruck looking forward to meeting Mountain Soldiers from the other member countries of the IFMS and already on the first day of the Congress it was clear that the values which I had associated with the Alpini are values which are shared by all the Mountain Soldiers represented by the IFMS. Everyone felt at home, there were no divisions by rank and all those present shared experiences, tales of adventure and of sacrifice to help others. By the end of the first day we all felt we were part of an extended family and glad to be together. Despite my coming from a country where there are no real mountains my ambition when the Congress ended was, and is, to see if even my country can share in the strength and friendship of everyone present by being able in the future to join the IFMS.

Throughout the Congress, both during the meetings and when we were in the mountains overlooking Innsbruck, we all spoke to each other in English and even if for some of the Mountain Soldiers present English was difficult no-one had any problem understanding or of being understood by the others. When the Bulgarian Association was unanimously elected to become a member of the IFMS all the other Associations were enthusiastic and the Bulgarians even more so, and I was particularly impressed by the chairman of the Bulgarian Association because even though he did not speak any English he was just as enthusiastic as everyone else.

I spoke with members of all the Associations present and no one Association was any different from all the others. I am now certain that the description of the Alpini by General Frido von Senger und Etterlin can be used to describe Mountain Soldiers in general because all of them have been moulded by their mountain background. They are used to sacrifice and to helping each other without hesitation and without expecting any possible returns. The mountains give one the strength to find solutions when there are problems which others may find unsurmountable, for example in war and when there are emergencies such as earthquakes, avalanches, floods or fires. Mountain Soldiers without exception are ready at all times when there is a call of duty and the first question is not “Why” but “Where”.

I left the Congress wishing it could have lasted longer and hoping that when in the future I will be in one of the countries where there is an Association which is in the IFMS I will be able to again meet the Mountain Soldiers I met in Innsbruck.

• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
  • The 31th Congress of the IFMS
  • Annual I.F.M.S prize
  • Alpiniadi 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• IFMS Congress