His painful story is making the rounds online, sparking outrage and solidarity. Marco Ponturo, a former soldier from Norbello, now 39, was suddenly discharged in 2013 after being diagnosed with colon cancer, an extremely rare condition at his age. Since then, he has been fighting on two fronts: medical and bureaucratic, to obtain recognition of his "service-related cause and his status as a victim of duty." His case has now reached the Supreme Court of Cassation, where it will be heard shortly.

Marco doesn't ask for compassion, but for attention. "I was discharged as a reject and without any recognition. I don't want pity, just for this story to reach the authorities before the final hearing. No one else should have to go through what I'm going through." His experience, he says, is not isolated: other soldiers have faced similar situations. "I enlisted in 2007 and served at Capo Teulada and then in Sassari as a missileman. Those were years of tough training, shooting ranges, and missions." And of exposure to substances that he now points to as the possible cause of his illness: " We used benzene-based solvents, and no one told us anything ."

Then came Afghanistan: "High stress, precarious hygienic conditions. You just stayed there and did what they told you. I never imagined the bill would come so quickly. The ordeal began: hospitals, chemotherapy, surgeries. I had some tests: mass spectrometry on my tissues. The result was clear: chronic heavy metal poisoning. Aluminum, lead, titanium, ruthenium, thorium. And they ruled out any hereditary predispositions. Where did it come from? From what I breathed and touched for years in uniform."

Marco appeals. The answer is always the same: "It's part of the school's duties." "They told me the activities were normal duties. Therefore, there was no connection."

In 2025, a turning point came: the Council of State issued a ruling establishing that, for military personnel exposed to heavy metals, a connection to service was presumed. "This means that the state should recognize it. But no." Despite that ruling, the local courts continued to reject his case.

"My case is now before the Supreme Court. It's my last resort. If they say no there too, what message are we sending? That you can give your life for the state and the state will then look the other way."

Marco speaks with clarity and firmness. "I ask that my story be useful." Today he is a fitness coach with a degree in Sports Science, and works in Sassari. "I got here over time. In the first few years after my discharge, I was left without a job overnight. I went into debt to pay my legal fees. I worked seasons as a lifeguard, then in 2020 I started in fitness. Other people would have been disheartened. Instead, I rebuilt myself from scratch, I defeated evil. I am a free man and I don't want money, just justice from the Ministry of Defense."

Serafino Corrias

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