Type of troops: Engineering troops. Subdivision: 32nd Guards Rifle Taman Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division. I want to tell you about my grandfather Ignatov Ivan Petrovich, who was born in 1911 in the village of Karaul, Inzhavinsky district, Tambov region. When the war began in 1941, my grandfather was 30 years old. He was married and lived in Ukraine. And his wife, my grandmother Raisa Titovna, with three children was evacuated from Ukraine. During the crossing of the Volga River on a ferry, they were bombed by the Germans. My father Valery Ivanovich was born in 1941 right on the Volga during the bombing of the Battle of Stalingrad. They went through a lot. But people then helped each other in difficult times. They also helped my grandmother with three children. Meanwhile, my grandfather Ivan Petrovich was already fighting the Germans. He fought the entire war on different fronts: - from 1939 to October 1941. cadet and commander of a sapper platoon of the 389th Infantry Regiment, Odessa Military District; - from 1941 to 1942 deputy the commander of the sapper company of the 2nd squad of the sapper battalion of the 26th rifle brigade, North Caucasian front; - from 1942 to 1943 engineer squadron commander, chief of engineering service of the 9th Kuban Cossack division, Southern Front; - since 1943 commander of a separate battalion of an infantry division. He was a sapper officer. Was injured. At the front he joined the CPSU. My grandfather went to Konigsberg, where he ended the war. My dad used to say that for my grandfather, the war was the main event in his life. He could talk about the war for hours, recollect various frontline incidents, recollect his fighters-comrades. I saw photographs of Ivan Petrovich. All his chest was in orders and medals: Order of the Red Star No. 448156, Order of the Patriotic War I degree No. 56627, Order of the October Revolution No. 13022, Order of the Patriotic War No. 1921951, Order of Alexander Nevsky No. 22140; medals - "For Courage" No. 256929, "For the Defense of the Caucasus" No. 049488, "For the capture of Konigsberg" No. 236224, "For Victory over Germany" No. 0216634; 5 Jubilee medals, "For Valiant Labor", "Veteran of Labor". He was constantly invited to speak to schoolchildren and workers. May 9th was the main holiday. Grandfather put on a ceremonial uniform with orders and medals and went to the parade. He had the rank of retired major. Until his very last days, he was vigorous, fit, true to his ideals. Many people were killed during the war. They fought for their homeland, for their loved ones. It is a pity that now there are not many veterans left alive. My grandfather also died in 1998. I would like the younger generation to remember their history, to love their Motherland - Russia. Honored their heroes. Known and unknown. And I want to end with the words of the front-line poet Alexander Tvardovsky: I know, it’s not my fault that others didn’t come from the war. The fact that they - who are older, who are younger - Remained there and not about the same speech, That I could, but could not save them, It's not about that, but still, nevertheless, nevertheless ....