My French friends once asked me why this war is so important to us, why every year a military parade is held on Red Square, why do we persistently carry the portraits of our fathers and grandfathers, the soldiers of the Immortal Regiment? Why do we fight so ardently for the historical truth about the war? After all, so many years have passed, it is time, they say, to turn to the present day and engage in the arrangement and improvement of our such a difficult life?
My French friends do not understand that this terrible ordeal once united all the people of a vast country, united hundreds of nationalities in one impulse, in one will, in one breath! In one heartbeat! And the Victory was one, one for all!
And, perhaps most importantly, this deep unity from the experience remains in us who live in other countries, binds us together in a common tragic and at the same time bright and glorious memory!
We wish we could not lose it, we wish we could not forget it!
My maternal grandfather, an officer, a political instructor, went to the front from the very first days of the war, perished and was missing near Stalingrad. A bloody, merciless battle was taking place there, the destiny of the country and the whole earth was being decided! Political instructors and commissars were known to be at the forefront.
We know nothing more about him.
But about my grandfather on my father’s side we know a lot. All thanks to my brother. He found his trace in the archival documents of the Ministry of Defense.
Here they are.
Kashuro Vasili Yefimovich
GUARDS SENIOR SERGEANT
CLERK
1922 – 1977
History of the soldier
Kashuro Vasily Yefimovich was born in 1922, drafted into the Red Army since 09.1941 in Stalinobad in the I-Belarusian Front. Served in the 1st division of 316th Guards Mortar Corostensk-Pomeranian Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov, Bogdan Khmelnitsky and Alexander Nevsky regiment. On 26.01.1945 when the enemy artillery shelled the battalion near Bromberg the driver of the staff car was wounded. Regardless of the threatening danger under heavy enemy artillery fire, Mr. Kashuro led the vehicle out of the bombardment zone and took it to a shelter. Staff documents and the vehicle were saved. On 29.01.1945 when the column of division was attacked by enemies’ machine gunners in the region of Roze, Mr. Kashurov headed calculations for battle and in the hand-to-hand fight killed six Hitlerites and took in captivity 10. Medals: For clearing of Warsaw, for a capture of Berlin, for the Victory over Germany, for war merits. In offensive actions of the division colonel Kashuro repeatedly showed an example of courage and bravery in battle. Commendation to Guards Senior Sergeant Vasily Kashuro for the seizure of the town of Altdamm from Comrade Stalin.
Source: https://www.moypolk.ru/soldier/kashuro-vasiliy-efimovich
Grandson of the hero Kashuro Alexander Sergeevich
