Second Speech to the San Marco Division
By Benito Mussolini
Officials! Non-commissioned officers! Graduates of the San Marco Division!
Three months have passed since that unforgettable day in which I had the great pleasure of meeting you and spending the day with you. Since that day, new events have taken place in our Fatherland. Rome, which in thirty centuries of history never saw any Africans unless they were being dragged in chains, today has its walls profaned by these uncivilized and bastard races. On the one hand, all of this saddens us. But on the other hand, it gives us the spur needed for recovery.
You presented yourself in a way that I do not hesitate to define as superb. I see in your behaviour not only the expression of your spirit and your will, but also the result of these months of training under the guidance of German instructors. I give my thanks to them, and in the first place I want to mention here General Alberti, who has devoted himself to you with a particular interest and concern.
You must become an unbreakable block of heart and determination. In a short time you will have the joy of returning to the Fatherland.
I have presented you with the flags and so your division is complete. They are the flags of the Italian Social Republic, around which today—but even more so tomorrow—the entire Italian working population will gather in compact masses. These flags are the symbols of our faith and courage.
I am sure that when the multi-colored enemies of our country hear you shout "San Marco!", they will realize that they are in the presence of intrepid soldiers who are determined to do anything to achieve victory!
