Italo Sarrocco was one of the last surviving veterans of the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, and one of the oldest people in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 at the time of his death. He fought for Italy at the all important Battle of Vittorio Veneto

Battle of Vittorio Veneto

The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...

 in October-November 1918 in the final stage of the war, which ended the war for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and caused the German Empire

German Empire

The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

 to end the war as well.

Late in his life, he was honored with the Italian order of merit

Italian orders of merit

There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods...

 called the Knight of the Order of Vittorio Veneto

Vittorio Veneto

Vittorio Veneto is a city and comune situated in the Province of Treviso, in the region of Veneto, Italy, in the northeast of the Italian peninsula, between the Piave and the Livenza rivers.-Geography:...

 (Ordine di Vittorio Veneto), which is a medal (or Iron Cross). Italo received the Cross for his service in the war at the pivotal battle for which it was named. To qualify for the Cross, the soldiers had to have six months of combat and have already received the War Merit Cross

War Merit Cross (Italy)

The Italian War Merit Cross was instituted by King Victor Emanuel III on 19 January 1918.From its institution till 30 May 1927, 1,034,924 Crosses were issued.-Eligibility:...

. This is a knighthood created in 1968 for World War I veterans, in order to commemorate 50 years after the war, which was given by the President of the Republic of Italy

President of the Italian Republic

The President of the Italian Republic is the head of state of Italy and, as such, is intended to represent national unity and guarantee that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The president's term of office lasts for seven years....

. This Cross was created with the knowledge that the Order of Vittorio Veneto would pass into history after all the knights died, like the veterans themselves.

Italo died in his home town of Rivisondoli

Rivisondoli

Rivisondoli is a village and comune in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is a ski resort.-Geography:The village is placed in the plateau of Cinque Miglia and extended on the flank of Monte Calvario.-History:...

 at the age of 108. Many of the regional authorities were involved in honoring him at his funeral.

External links

• The Order of Vittorio Veneto @ the Italian Wikipedia
• Italian Medals @ the website of the office of the President of the Republic of Italy
• Italian Medals of the First World War @ a World War I website