The silver medal for military valor awarded to Lieutenant Alberto Garau, an officer of the "Sassari" brigade who fell heroically during the First World War, will from today be kept in Historical Museum of the "Red Devils", in the "La Marmora" barracks in Piazza Castello, headquarters of the brigade command.
The prestigious honour, together with other decorations and memorabilia belonging to the officer, was delivered this morning by Alberto and Patrizio Rinaldi, nephews of the decorated man, into the hands of the commander of the "Sassari" brigade, General Stefano Messina. During the meeting, General Messina expressed gratitude to the officer's heirs for the significant donation which will be on display at the brigade's museum, a destination for numerous visitors.
The general then recalled the two important military feats in which Lieutenant Garau distinguished himself and which earned him the award of the silver medal for military valor. The heroic figure of Alberto Garau hits the headlines for another singular episode. In 1917, his only daughter named Silvia appeared on the front page of the Domenica del Corriere. Achille Beltrame, the historic designer of the newspaper, in fact depicts "the hero's daughter", aged two and a half, when, in Piazza Sordello in Mantua, having received the silver medal awarded in memory of her father from General Bompiani, she exclaims phrase "Long live Italy! Long live the King".
Inserted in the circuit of Italian Army museums, the Historical Museum of the "Sassari" Brigade has the aim of preserving the memory and traditions of the "red devils", the legendary "dimonios", soldiers mainly recruited in Sardinia, a unique example for compactness , self-denial and military valor demonstrated during the First World War, which contributed significantly to the process of unification of Italy.
