Type of troops: - coastal defense and air defense artillery, - coastal units, - aviation of the Red Army and Naval units of the NKVD border troops. The years of the Great Patriotic War will never be forgotten. The more years go by, the more vivid and significant they become in our memory. Millions of lives have been lost in victory. The infinitely loving life that most ordinary people risked for four long years went to this feat, to death, just to bring victory closer. And only a few days separate us from the most important holiday - Victory Day. All the inhabitants of our village will gather in the square to thank the veterans once again for the peaceful sky, for the happiness of life and work. Polina Gavrilovna Kryukova will be among the victorious soldiers. On the eve of the holiday, I interviewed a war and labor veteran. Their lives, like those of millions of people born in the 1920s, are perhaps more filled with grief, suffering and loss. But when I look at this woman who has lived and experienced so much, I am surprised by her activity, her lust for life, her optimism and listen to her leisurely story. "I was born in 1923 in a large farming family with many children. I learned early on what work and hunger are, but childhood is childhood. Like all children, I went to school, was active in my studies and school life, I had many plans, but everything was destroyed by the war. During the first months of the war she worked in Arzgir in the communication center, and on April 11, 1942 she went to the front at the call of Komsomol. Together with me, 35 other girls from Arzgir were called up". With a smile Polina Gavrilovna reminds how the course of the young fighter was conducted: "Newer school girls in shooting position fell face first into the mud, into the snow, crawled on their bellies, dug themselves in. At the end of the day the uniforms became heavy, padded trousers got wet, foot cloths were soaked with water, and on the belt - a shovel, on the shoulder - a rifle, a gas mask, a helmet. After studying, Polina Gavrilovna ended up in the Rostov Air Defense District, the 56th Army, in the 18th separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion as a reconnaissance-observer. And now, 69 years later, Polina Gavrilovna remembers how the 18th Division covered the retreat of troops over the Don River near the village of Melekhovskaya, how they managed to shoot down a bomber in Bataysk during the terrible bombing by the Germans, how she lost her friend from the village Rodnikovsky Natasha Kryukova in the terrible, bloody battle of Nevinnomyssk. "It was frightening, very frightening", remembered Polina Gavrilovna, "but hatred for the enemy and love for the fatherland helped to overcome fear and defeat the fascists". As part of the Red Army, the 18th separate anti-aircraft artillery division fought all over Europe, and Polina Gavrilovna met the victory on German soil in the town of Lobant, 100 kilometers from Berlin. "This joy cannot be described in words. Hugging, kissing, crying. Victory!!!" - says a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and there are tears in her eyes. She returned home with medals. The most expensive awards "for the defense of the Caucasus" and the badge "excellent air defense". "It was a difficult return, sadly. residents of Arzgir, with whom she studied, worked, never returned. The women became gray, the sadness bowed the old people. But it was necessary to live, to restore what had been destroyed... "...not for their quiet, serene lives. Already in autumn 1945 Polina Gavrilovna gets a job at the registry office. For 37 years she worked as the head of the Arzgir district registry office. The country entrusted a very peaceful activity to a brave girl. Polina Gavrilovna has seen so many happy young faces over the years! And every couple heard from her: "Be happy!" Polina Gavrilovna has had a well-deserved holiday for a long time, but still leads a very active life. Hundreds of Arzgir residents know her as a kind and sympathetic person, to whom they still go for advice and support.