For a unit with a long history and glorious combat traditions, its veterans are an invaluable asset. Today, when one of the most pressing issues is the upbringing of a patriot and a citizen of Russia, a true defender of the Fatherland, it is difficult to overestimate the practical work of the veterans' council. Vladimir Petrovich FEDORCHENKO, Chairman of the veterans' council of the Taman Division, shared with us how this council operates.

We met this interesting man and companion on the eve of Victory Day. In the office of the division's deputy commander for educational work, a tall, thin retired officer felt at home. "Meet Vladimir Petrovich, the chairman of the veterans' council." We were introduced to a middle-aged man of average height with a youthful, fiery gaze. He was dressed in a navy-blue Soviet-style dress uniform. As he moved, his medals jingled melodiously, a testament to his heroic past.

Like many of his peers, Vladimir Fedorchenko went to the Great Patriotic War as a young boy. He was nineteen years old at the time. It seems that the calendar changed during the war. He served in intelligence and fought through the entire war. He never left the service. After the war, he participated in numerous parades on Red Square. He was one of the first to test new firearms, firing AKMs, or Kalashnikov assault rifles. As the commander of a motorized rifle unit, he

page 21

In 1953, he ensured the unhindered passage of the Taman Division's equipment into Moscow during the arrest of Beria.

Vladimir Petrovich is not only an honest and devoted servant. His second passion, after his profession of "Defending the Motherland," is art. He is a sculptor and artist who creates works on military themes. His work "They Fought for the Motherland" was exhibited in 1967 at the All-Union Exhibition of Amateur Artists and was displayed in Moscow and Budapest. Vladimir Petrovich Fedorchenko is the creator of the Taman Division's Walk of Fame. He created the composition "Cranes" for the alley, which depicts a severely wounded soldier turning into a crane, as in the famous song, and soaring into the sky...

- Vladimir Petrovich, when was the Taman Division Veterans Council established? What are its priorities?

- The Council of Veterans was organized in the summer of 1976. The first chairman of the council was Alexander Borisovich Kazayev, a Hero of the Soviet Union. It should be noted that from the very beginning, the work of the Council of Veterans was closely linked to the division's political department's work plan, which included a separate section dedicated to our activities. The primary goal of the Council of Veterans has always been to work with young people and pass on the rich experience of older generations to our younger generation. Specifically, this was expressed in the organization of the work of museums, the creation of veteran cells in all parts and units, it was also necessary to maintain contact with the current command of the division, to provide it with all possible assistance in the education of young soldiers on the combat traditions of the division. But first of all, in order to solve such problems, it was necessary to determine the composition of the council of veterans, to find fellow soldiers scattered all over the country. Working with documents, conducting active correspondence, we tried to determine where the veterans of the division live, what they are doing, in addition, we created lists by name: in what year this or that veteran served, in what regiment.

After determining the composition of the council, we began to work on creating museums and rooms of the division's military glory. Over the course of its existence, the Council of Veterans has organized more than 600 rooms of the division's military glory in the division's units and locations along its combat path, including in Smolensk, the North Caucasus, Kerch, Crimea, the Baltic States, and East Prussia. We have established groups of veterans in each city. We regularly hold meetings in Smolensk, where the division's first Guards banner is kept. A monument has been erected there, and a museum of our unit has been opened. We also organized museums of the division's military glory in several schools. We had a sponsored boarding school in the city of Rylsk.

In Soviet times, when I worked with schoolchildren, meetings with children were held several times a year. The children looked forward to these meetings with impatience, they were interested in everything: history, war, and military service. The work on patriotic education was put on a grand scale. At school ? 42 Cheryomushkinsky district of Moscow children in classes were organized on the principle of small army units. Each class-platoon was assigned its own platoon leader. I was in constant contact with the platoon leaders. In addition to educating teenagers, this work helped solve the problem of conscription. At my signal, the guys would go to the military commissariat to receive their enlistment certificates.

At least once a year, I took the schoolchildren on a training camp at the division's base. They were fascinated by everything: the army lifestyle, the soldiers' food, the obstacle course, and the opportunity to "touch" and explore military equipment. In some cases, parents who were overly protective of their children refused to let them attend the camp. The boys then turned to me, asking me to persuade their parents to let them come with me. I had to talk to fathers and mothers, promise them strict supervision of the child during the trip, convince them that the boy should not be isolated from his schoolmates. And in the part I asked him: "How do you feel?" "It's fine." "Are you going to the training ground?" "Yes." - "Are you going to climb the equipment?" "Yes." - "Are you going to take the height?" "Yes." After the training camp, many of the kids' skeptical parents, who had spent a long time convincing their son that he had a sore throat,

page 22

those who were waiting for the sick child to arrive from the training camp wondered for a long time where such energy and enthusiasm came from in their child after the "difficult trials"...

- Vladimir Petrovich, how is the work of the Council of Veterans organized today? After all, for a decade, military-patriotic work was practically forgotten.

- Unfortunately, today, compared to the Soviet era, the work on military-patriotic education is much weaker. However, it cannot be said that it is completely absent, as there are still enthusiasts who selflessly offer their services to foster the spirit of future defenders of the Fatherland. In general, the changes that have taken place in the country have had an impact on the work of the veterans' council. This is primarily due to the suspension, and sometimes the looting, bankruptcy, and even the official closure of a number of museums and rooms of military glory in various cities across our former vast country. Therefore, today, the Council of Veterans' first priority is to cooperate with the division's command on the issues of personnel training. Here is just one striking example of such cooperation. Young lieutenants have once again arrived at the division. Upon their arrival, four of them immediately expressed their unwillingness to continue serving in the Armed Forces. The reasons for this are easy to understand: they are afraid of the lack of stability, as well as the problems associated with housing and finances. During a scheduled meeting of the new recruits with the veterans, I addressed the audience, implying that these four lieutenants were sitting in the room: "You are 22 or 23 years old, and I joined the army at the age of 19. It was much more difficult to serve back then. Compared to that time, you have more or less decent conditions. We lived in summer camp tents during the winter. We slept in our clothes. Sometimes, our feet froze to the ground. You wake up, rewind your foot wrappings, and go back to sleep. But we didn't complain about our lives; we served with faith and hope. We knew that if you faltered or showed weakness, you had lost your life. Think about it... Interestingly, after my speech, I haven't heard any renewed discussions about early dismissal of young lieutenants from the Armed Forces. Perhaps my words played a role in this.

The division's veterans' council actively participated in the moral training of the units sent to Chechnya. We met with the guys, gave them instructions to serve their homeland honestly, and always remember that they are Taman soldiers, and Taman soldiers do not retreat or surrender.

In cooperation with the division command, the veterans' council does not forget about the work on pre-conscription training of young people. Until now, the museum of the 2nd Guards Army, which the Taman Division joined after the capture of Sevastopol, has been preserved and is still functioning at Moscow School No. 102 in the Akademichesky District. We maintain close contact with this school, attend their celebrations, and talk with the students.

Despite the anti-military sentiments that are still being created in some media outlets, military service still holds interest for today's young men. Recently, my grandson, a schoolboy, surprised me with a simple phrase: "Grandfather, I've organized an excursion to your division. Let's go." It turned out that he had taken the initiative to invite his classmates and teacher to visit a military unit. There were numerous individuals eager to experience the modern Russian army.

Naturally, I could organize such an excursion for my grandson and his friends. But what about children who don't have a grandfather who is the chairman of a large military unit's veterans council?

It is necessary to educate the children to become future defenders of the Motherland and true citizens, true people. Army commanders should be concerned about the question: who will join the ranks of the Armed Forces tomorrow? Without constant communication with teenagers, future soldiers and officers, without their moral support, and without an interest in the army, its traditions, and history, service will always be viewed not as an honorable duty, but as an inevitable obligation. The army should take an active role in the educational process. Only then will it become stronger and regain the heights that we cannot afford to lose. We can't do this without the help of veterans.

page 23

Permanent link to this publication: