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Story by Svetlana Kukhtina
This is a story about my grandfather, Junior Lieutenant Mirzakhan
Galeyev.
In the frosty winter of 1942, his 174th Rifle Division was fighting defense
battles near Rzhev. Many people were killed in a bloody battle on February 10.
My grandfather’s head was badly wounded. After the battle, he was put into a
communal grave by mistake. When the gravediggers started filling it with earth,
my grandfather went into convulsions. He was alive, but unconscious. He endured
a long ride to the hospital, a coma and a difficult operation. Medics extracted
big shell splinters, but had to leave the small ones. My grandfather survived,
but his relatives were told that he had been killed in action.
After the war he got married, had children and found a job he loved. When we
were kids, he let us touch a small skin-covered hole in his head.
Grandfather suffered from insomnia and headaches, but never complained. He
lived a normal life and had a good sense of humor. He lived to see his great
grandchildren born and died at the age of 86 three years ago.
After the war, my grandfather tried in vain to find his fellow soldiers. All
his friends were killed near Rzhev. The communal gravestone near the village of
Timontsevo has my grandfather’s name inscribed on it.
He was decorated with the Orders of the Red Star and the Patriotic War and
the Medal for Combat Services.
Grandfather taught us that we should never give up and should fight for life
and victory even if there is little chance of surviving.
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