Your name, which I bear with pride, is a constant reminder of your courage and dedication to justice. Your story, your sacrifice, have taught me the importance of fighting for what is right, even in the face of adversity.

Emanuela Loi, 32, a state police officer in Cagliari, wrote this in a letter to her namesake aunt, a policewoman who died in the Via D'Amelio massacre. She expressed "pride in her aunt's example of courage and dedication," acknowledging how her ultimate sacrifice taught her "the meaning of duty and the importance of fighting for what is right."

Loi read her writing at the Lungaro barracks, where the victims of the July 19, 1992, massacre were remembered . "My mother and father," Loi's granddaughter wrote, "told me of your dedication to work and your always positive and cheerful attitude, with your unmistakable smile plastered on your face to face every situation, even the most difficult. I am proud to be able to continue, in some way, in your footsteps."

Emanuela, who died in the massacre, didn't want to be a police officer but a teacher, and she only went to the police force exam to accompany her sister. But she did well and won. "Sometimes," her niece continues, "I feel like I'm living your life, as if your dreams and passions were mine too. I wonder if we would have had the same interests, if we would have laughed together at the same things. The thought of not having been able to share these moments with you is a pain I can't describe. I hope that, in some way, you're proud of me. Thank you for inspiring me to be a better person."

(Unioneonline)

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