My grandfather Vasily Nikitovich Kochedykov took part in the Great Patriotic War. He was born on March 31, 1912 in a family of peasants in the village of Puzyrev, Zavivalovsky district, Penza region. My grandfather studied to become a livestock specialist, completing two years of the Omsk Agricultural Institute. In 1942, he graduated from the commander's course at the Frunze Military and Political School. From June 1942 to April 1945, he participated in the battles against the Nazi invaders. He finished the war as a deputy division commander of the political department of the 7th guards’ airborne artillery regiment of the 9th guards airborne Poltava Red Banner order of Suvorov division with the rank of guard captain. During the war, my grandfather received commendations from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the Soviet Union I. V. Stalin for his excellent combat against the German-fascist troops: 1. for the elimination of the summer offensive in the Belgorod direction; 2. for the capture of the city of Belgorod; 3.for the capture of the city of Kharkiv; 4. for the capture of the city of Poltava; 5. for the capture of the city of Kremenchug. My grandfather participated in one of the big and important battles on the Kursk bulge, directly participated in the largest tank battle in the whole war at the Prokhorovka station in the Kursk region. In this battle, under the leadership of my grandfather, seven enemy tanks were destroyed, for which he received the order of the Red Star. I remember the battle on the Kursk Bulge from my grandfather's stories; he told me about it several times. He said that the soldiers had a very difficult time, talked about how they died. How they saved him by digging a hole in the ground. I did not find out about how he, himself, shot down two tanks with direct fire until many years later. He took part in the battles to cross the Oder, Dniester, and Vistula rivers. During the war, my grandfather was also awarded orders for military services: of the Patriotic War of I and II degrees, the order of the Red Star, the military order of the Red Banner, the medal "For the Victory over Germany", and other medals. My grandfather ended his service in the war on March 16, 1945, as he was seriously wounded in the right Shin on the 1st Ukrainian front near the Neisse river, just 60 km from Berlin. Afterwards, came a hospital in the city of Lviv, a commission and dismissal from the army. It was there that Vasily Nikitovich met Budyonniy, who was then in charge of the horse breeding industry in the country. The marshal approved the appointment of yesterday's officer as director of the state stable in Lviv. Afterwards, my grandfather worked in the Rivne state procurement stable. He was director of the state stable, chairman of the collective farm "Progress" of the Nolinsky (Molotov) district of the Kirov region, created the Nolinsky poultry farm from the ground up. My grandfather was personally acquainted with Marshal Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonniy, fellow Nolinchanite Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov - both acquaintances seriously affected the economy of the district at one time or another. For the sake of the common cause, Vasily Nikitovich went to Moscow to seek an appointment with Molotov. And he got it! After their meeting, a power plant, a car, and a sawmill were delivered to the address of the “Progress” collective farm.