Carlo Bini

I was a young officer taking a train back from Friuli to Tuscany. Somewhere in the middle of the Appenines, a freight train went off the rails and spilled over onto our track. The train I was on had no way of stopping and crashed into it. Several of the coaches flew off the viaduct, but mine remained on the escarpment. Looking around, I saw that everyone was injured. Summoning some hitherto-unknown strength I managed to open the heavy door from underneath. I did what I could to help the people around me until relief finally came. That day, I felt truly worthy of my uniform.