The boy who wears the embroidered Malvinas on his overalls as a tribute to his war veteran grandfather

At only six years old, Augustine understands what the Malvinas Islands mean to Argentines. His grandfather mario giraldez He was one of the soldiers who fought at just 19 and came back with the pain that only war can leave, never forgetting to proudly remember his fellow veterans and the dead. This taught his children and continued with the grandchildren.

So much so that the whole family has the islands as a motivation in all aspects of their lives. For this reason, the youngest of the grandchildren, who has carried them with him since birth, proudly says: “Grandfather was in the Falklands, which is Argentinian” and, before going to play in the swimming pool, he tells GlobeLiveMedia that this Wednesday he will start the first year and that he already has his overalls ready with the islands embroidered in light blue on the heart.

“As soon as he was born, we made him little sheets with the islands, at the little painter’s that he took to the maternity ward for a year he also had them printed, he always wears a bracelet with the islands and the start of this new school stage couldn’t be overlooked,” Vanesa, the baby’s mother, says she was looking for someone who this time around would not only embroider them on the overalls but also understand the bond they represent. between the baby and his grandfather.”He loves my stepfather, he’s a hero and we always honor him,” she says proudly.

The one who received the particular request was Bethanyan embroiderer from San Isidro, who when she barely saw it, felt it would be something special, so she decided to share it on her Twitter account where she showed the final result the same day.

“I do embroidery for school children and since I knew the embroidery orders for overalls were about to start, I shared on the neighborhood Facebook that I was taking jobs to do and Vanesa’s came to me. Para mi todos los trabajos que hago son especiales porque marcan una etapa en la vida escolar de los niños, pero cuando ella contó por quería las Malvinas bordadas casi me largo a llorar”, cuenta emocionada la mujer que el último domingo hizo la destacada stain.

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Behind the viral photo

Mario gets emotional when he talks about Malvinas, where he was 20 years old. “It was my best birthday,” recalls the one who arrived there as a soldier of the VI Mercedes Regiment and says that despite the fact that he “gave me everything in life, he also gave me got out”. But for him today, there is no nostalgia, nor desire to return, although the memory of what he lived accompanies him every day and with every step he takes: he is a member of the Vicente López Veterans Center and is one of those who come to schools to tell the youngest about what they experienced during this war.

“We who came back are not heroes. Those who remained there areensures GlobeLiveMedia and he guesses he keeps feeling surprised because his family is still looking for a way to honor him. “I always say what I did there was nothing special, what any good Argentinian would have done, but my wife, my children and all my family always entertain me and keep mind the memory of the Malvinas in detail: a T-shirt, with the boys’ overalls… I’m ashamed because I don’t think I did anything special and it fills me with pride that only they remember Malvinas”.

For nearly 41 years, the veteran has continued to meet each year with his companions in the Regiment to commemorate the departure for the islands. “We are around 800 people between veterans and families. There we remember our dead, because they will be dead when we forget them. The memory is still alive in each of us, ”he says and remembers how he spoke to his children about the war.

“I told him as they asked… For us veterans, Malvinas was very difficult because we had no medical support of any kind. and we depended only on our families who acted as psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists… and we didn’t talk about it. When the boys asked, we gave them the information they asked for, nothing more. Little by little the story fell into place and the grandchildren, the second generation post-Malvinas, are learning from their parents and from what I tell them too,” he explains.

“It fills me with pride that my family and my grandchildren especially were so receptive to malvinization because my children received it before and today. this dust cover, like so many other details, makes me feel like my job is done“, he concludes.

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The moving tribute

“I accompany him to the grandfather, I like him very much. I have a lot of Falkland Islands t-shirtsmy boyfriends ask me and I tell them that my grandfather was there and that they are Argentinian,” proudly says Agustín, who usually accompanies Mario whenever there is an act in honor of veterans and dead.

This sentiment is shared by anyone familiar with the family’s history. “For me, doing the embroidery of the Islands was touching because the mother of the baby told me that it was a tribute to my grandfather, who is a veteran. I shared it on my Twitter because the work was beautiful, I put a lot of heart into it, but also because I wanted this beautiful family to be known“, he admits GlobeLiveMedia Betiana, the woman who did the embroidery.

Excited, Vanesa continues: “The crib sheets already had the islands stamped on them. Since she was born, every four months I have changed an island ribbon for her, which she wears as a bracelet. In the garden I carried a backpack with the islands, on public holidays we distribute rosettes that my mother-in-law weaves, trying to do a little Malvinizar, that’s the cause ”.

“For the past two years, he has been lucky that his grandfather has gone for walks in his garden. Talk about the Falklands. He wore his helmet, a jacket and told the boys what he had to tell them according to their age”, he adds and reveals that in the house they have “a small museum of the islands”.

Every April 2, the whole family celebrates in front of the Vicente López River and pays homage to those who lost their lives there.

“You have to give veterans the recognition they deserve, but really. You have to stop boxing them because they are real heroes, remember they were boys when they went to fight. Although we still have the repercussion now, as Argentines we must always keep the flame burning,” he concludes.

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