Since ancient times, men have protected their Homeland. If the enemy attacked, the soldiers defended it, protected their families, homes, and cities. The defender of the Motherland among our relatives was my great-grandfather on my mother's side - Alexander Grabov. He was born in the village of Chernolesky in 1919. I never saw my great-grandfather, and I don't know what his voice sounded like when he laughed, sang, or spoke. But from the memories of his son, my grandfather, I formed the image of a wonderful man, a true patriot and hero of his time. He was 22 years old when the war started. Great-grandfather Sasha went to the front in the summer of 1941. He fought bravely for the world I now live in. During the battle for Stalingrad, he was the commander of a rocket launcher, which the soldiers affectionately called "Katyusha". After the liberation of Stalingrad, he went a long way in battle and reached Koenigsberg. For which he was awarded the medal "for Bravery". My grandfather told me about how fearlessly my great-grandfather fought. There were offensives and retreats. He saw destroyed villages and settlements, tears of children and women, and buried many comrades. But the bullet spared him. My great-grandfather endured 1418 hard days and nights. Under the bursts of shells in rain and snow, heat and cold, he confidently approached Victory. At the end of 1945, my great-grandfather returned to his native village of Chernolesskoye. After the war, great-grandfather Sasha worked on a collective farm as a driver. He passed away in July of 1980. He was buried in his native village. Tulips bloom on his grave in spring. I am proud that my great-grandfather took part in this long war, which ended with the victory of our soldiers. I'm glad he came back alive, even though I have never saw him. Thanks to such people, there is a happy, peaceful childhood for us, kids. The memory of him is a kind of an oath of loyalty to the ideals that my close relative defended.