On February 13, 1922 my great-grandmother, Ksenia Andreyevna Kareva, was born in the village of Pogorelovka in the Algasovsky district of Tambov province. Her father, Andrey Ivanovich Karev, a participant in the First World War, a cavalier of St. George, died a few months before her birth due to injuries he suffered on the battlefields. His wife, Alexandra Ivanovna, a choir singer in the church, was left alone with four children in her arms. Ksenia completed four classes of primary school in her home village. A further education was not possible, so she started working as an accountant in the cereal industry at the age of 14. Later Ksenia Andreyevna moved to Ivanovo, where she worked in peat processing. Some years later she moved to Moscow. She lived in a dormitory in a wool spinning mill, where she worked as a weaver. In autumn 1941 she was sent to dig ditches. In winter the factory was evacuated and the team was disbanded. Ksenia Andreyevna returned to her home town of Pogorelovka. At that time the two older brothers were already at war. Later, the older Vasily was among those who reached Berlin, and Egor was awarded the rank of officer. It was the year 1943. 21-year-old Ksenia was sent to the front. She joined the anti-aircraft troops, where she fought as part of the gun crew bringing grenades for anti-aircraft guns. In 1944 she was demobilized and returned to the village. One year after the end of the war she moved to her sister in Magnitogorsk. Here she worked with German prisoners of war - ennobled Magnitogorsk. After finishing the vocational school she got a job as a seamstress in the clothing factory of Magnitogorsk, where she worked until 1977. Here, in Magnitogorsk, my great-grandmother married, became Ksenia Andreyevna Yatsunenko and raised three daughters. In 1946 she was awarded the medal "for the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945". In 1985 she was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War for bravery, strength and courage in the fight against the Nazi invaders II She was also awarded the Zhukov Medal and the "Front Soldier" badge. Above all, however, she was proud of the certificate for military achievements in the air defense of the Fatherland during the Great Patriotic War, which was signed by the Front Commander himself. Ksenia Andreyevna died at the age of 81 years. Apart from gentleness and kindness, she possessed qualities such as courage, steadfastness and - most importantly - an extraordinary, inexhaustible thirst for life to live in peace and harmony with all.