CITY: Krasnodar Territory Giaginsky District, Tambovsky village DATE OF BIRTH: 10/11/1924 DATE OF DEATH: 05/27/2016 HISTORY: Title: Sergeant. Type of troops: Artillery. Subdivision: 9th Plastun Rifle Krasnodar Red Banner, Orders of Kutuzov and the Red Star Volunteer Division. Victory Day occupies a special place in our family. On May 9, 1945, the long-awaited news of the end of the Great Patriotic War came to all homes. Today's world was defended by our great-grandfathers in heroic battles. They gave us life and a future without bombing, gunfire and death. Among these people was my great-grandfather - Abramenko Ivan Vasilyevich. Ivan Vasilievich was born on October 11, 1924 in the Giaginsky district of the Krasnodar Territory in a family of rural workers. In the hungry year of 1933, Ivan Vasilyevich's parents died, and his own aunt took him into her family. Life in a large family was difficult. Adults and children toiled in the fields of their collective farm to hand over grain to the state's bins. The yield by today's standards was small - 12 centners per hectare. But this figure was perceived as a great victory. The peaceful labor of people was interrupted by the war. In the summer of 1942, the territory of the Kuban was occupied by fascist German troops. Young people gathered at the military enlistment offices every day, demanding that they be sent to the front. Among them was Ivan Vasilievich. He has not yet turned 18 years old. To get into the active army, he added an extra year to himself in the questionnaire. This is how the military page in his biography began. The second year of the war was a time of hardships. The hastily formed military units of the Soviet army retreated to the Caucasus Mountains with battles. There was a shortage of weapons, ammunition, food. During the reconnaissance mission near the city of Tuapse, Ivan Vasilyevich was seriously wounded. Returning from the German rear with a captured officer, he stepped on an enemy mine. The soldier was saved from death by an automatic rifle hanging on his chest. After treatment in the hospital, he again returns to his military unit, which became part of the 9th Krasnodar Plastun Division. She was part of the reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (I.V. Stalin) and fought in the most difficult sectors of the front. With her participation, our native land was liberated, as well as the city of Kerch and the territory of Crimea. 1944 was remembered by Ivan Vasilyevich for the fierce battles for the Polish city of Dembice, where an underground German plant was located, which produced aerial bombs. Ivan Vasilievich was the commander of an artillery crew. His task was to suppress enemy fire and provide protection to our infantry. For his participation in this operation, he was awarded the Order of Glory. At the beginning of 1945, stubborn battles began in the region of the Vistula and Oder rivers. They were attended by 22 thousand guns. For participation in this operation, Ivan Vasilyevich was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. At the request of the allies of the USSR - the British and the Americans - continuous battles were fought in the Berlin and Prague directions, since their main forces were surrounded. Ivan Vasilievich took part in a meeting of the allied forces on the Elbe River. He ended the war, liberating the city of Prague - the capital of Czechoslovakia. Until 1964, Ivan Vasilyevich lived and worked as a driver in the village of Chernigov, Apsheronsky district, and then moved with his family to the Oktyabrsky grain state farm, which was then an advanced farm in the Yeisk district. There he continued his career until retirement. Being on a well-deserved rest, Ivan Vasilyevich is actively involved in social life. He meets with schoolchildren, works with young people, and is a mentor for the leaders of a rural settlement. According to the results of its work, the Council of Veterans of the Oktyabrsky settlement has occupied 1-3 places in the region over the past three years. For his work with the younger generation, Ivan Vasilyevich was awarded the award of the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, was awarded several times with certificates of honor. In 2006, with his assistance, a room for Combat and Labor Glory was created at Municipal Budgetary General Education Institution Secondary School No. 22. Its expositions are constantly replenished with new exhibits found as a result of the search work of students, the help of fellow villagers. This clearly shows the connection between generations. They are brought together by two concepts: memory and love for the Motherland. Ivan Vasilievich headed the Council of Veterans of the Oktyabrsky village for 18 years. Has awards: the Order of Glory, the Order of the Patriotic War I and II degrees, the medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus", the medal "For the liberation of the Kuban", the medal "For Victory over Germany", anniversary medals. My great-grandfather passed away on May 27, 2016 at the age of 92. The memory of him is sacredly kept in our family.