What is it, the future generation of National Guard officers?
Of course, we can say that the brave are resilient, hardy. And you can move away from the standard words and look behind the scenes of the military uniform. Ask yourself, who are the future officers of the National Guard? What paths led them to the army? What dreams did they have and how they want to change the country.
More recently, cadets arrived in the military units of the National Guard to undergo traineeships in various positions. They also arrived at the 2nd Galician Brigade in Lviv. Almost twenty of them came to gain practical experience. Among them are three comrades, who at the beginning of their studies were united by a love of weapons. Interestingly, all of them already had higher education, which they received in civil universities. And all of them came to the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine, already being soldiers under contract.
Senior Sergeant Alexander Onishchenko. “I am proud to be a military man and I feel the power to change the army.”
Alexander has 7 years of contract service behind him. He was engaged in convoying, guarding defendants and convicts in military unit 3061. His path to sergeant and cadet lay through the Crimea.
“I went to military service myself in 2013,” Oleksandr says. “From my native Cherkassy I was sent to Sevastopol. There, in military unit 4125, my military journey began. A little time passed and I went to the Training Center of NGU in Zolochiv, studied to be the commander of the department. But, in fact, after studying, I had nowhere to turn. The occupation of Crimea began. So I got to my hometown to continue my service.”
Alexander is convinced that it was these stormy events that further pushed him to link his own life with the army.
“I signed the contract and continued to serve in this part, - continues the story. - In parallel, he entered the Kyiv University of Internal Affairs, at the Faculty of Law. I thought that 5 years of contract and 5 years of training was a pretty good option. I got a college degree and wanted more. I decided to become an officer. For me, from a young age, the military is pride. I have my own vision and understanding of what is happening around me. I really want to introduce new knowledge already. I'll be an officer for a while.”
Senior soldier Artem Korchevny. “One of the most vivid memories is Slavyansk after liberation.”
When asked why he came to military service, Artem answered briefly: “I wanted to go east.” The system engineer came to the service at the age of 24. I immediately signed a contract and in a month was already in the east of the country. Before that, the guy worked in a computer company.
“I remember very clearly how we entered Slavyansk. There were a lot of destroyed buildings, frightened people. We also slept in a dilapidated room, with no windows. I was very nervous about the army. After a while, I realized that I will not go anywhere from here.”
Artem says that he looked at his commanders, officers and wanted to be like them, a role model.
“I am not used to stopping at what I have achieved,” Artem assures. “I already had a higher education, so I knew that in a year and a half I could become an officer. I can teach people, pass on my knowledge and my experience. I will soon be 30 years old. And it has not stopped me that some people think that at this age it is too late to study. If necessary, I will study as much as necessary. I want it to benefit my country.”
Soldier Mikhailishin Mikhail. “I dreamed of creating a museum in the school where I taught.”
But Mikhail came to the service under contract relatively recently, in 2018. In addition, he worked as a teacher of physical education. He has been fond of weapons since childhood. Since the age when my father began to go hunting and tell stories about the Ukrainian struggle in their native Zolochiv region.
“I was very fascinated by the history of my native land,” says Mikhail, “it was especially interesting to listen about the weapons that were used. I really liked to go to Lviv, to the museum of weapons. I'll never forget the first time I got there.”
When he was teaching at school, he met his wife Oksana. Subsequently, the couple married. The guy informed his wife about his decision to become a military man after the wedding. The woman supported the man.
“My friend serves at the NGU Training Center, he called me a long time ago. After signing the contract and studying, I immediately went to the academy, very much dreamed of becoming an officer. And I also dreamed, when I was still teaching, to create a museum at school. There would be exhibits reflecting the history of the struggle of our land. And now I will be a National Guard officer who will work with weapons.”
The guys are interning at the posts of the chief of the weapons service and the head of the workshop for the repair of weapons. In two months they will receive officer shoots, their lives will be divided into different military units. But the officer's friendship, they assure, will be preserved.
Alina Novikova
