For veterans and participants of the Great Patriotic War, every day on May 9 after nineteen forty-five - and especially in the last decade-is an important life milestone and a time to sum up the results. And every year more and more sadness is brought to our bright holiday: the number of irretrievable losses in the list of winners is growing...

That is why a meeting of the two chairmen - the Government of the Russian Federation and the All-Russian Council of Veterans-took place not so long ago, after which the words "the last parade"were first heard in the press. It was about celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Victory in 2000.

It was decided that a parade of veterans will be held on Red Square. Taking into account the age, there are offers to pass not on foot columns, but to drive on paving stones by car.

This is certainly reasonable, and many front-line soldiers will accept it with sincere gratitude. But there are also those, who, by the way, are quite a few, who are ready to go to the main square of the country on their main holiday, even if not with a chased marching step, but in orderly rows and, as they say, on their own. And, believe me, such a demonstration of the fighting spirit of the Russian soldier is necessary for everyone-both for veterans and for young people.

Well, you can say that I found something to surprise you with... On this topic, it is said and retold. Of course, if we continue to keep silent about the activities of veterans 'organizations, then this parade will simply turn into a passage of "deep" pensioners. Meanwhile, the front-line soldiers are still in the ranks and do a lot for the good of the Motherland, for the education of patriots. And in what publications, except "Veteran", they write about this, which TV channels regularly cover their ascetic work?! But there is something to tell.

Take our organization of veterans of the 100th Guards Svir Red Banner Airborne Division, which, by the way, will be 30 years old in 2000. We work very hard with young people. Consider at least the activities of our former paratrooper A. S. Popkov in the city of Novomoskovsk, Tula region. Created with his participation, the organization "Young Zhukovtsy" successfully held many events for teenagers to promote (do not be afraid of this word) the heroic heritage of our famous commanders Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Konev, Meretskov, Govorov. For many years, the necessary and interesting work has been carried out in the Solnechnogorsk club "Young Paratrooper of the Airborne Forces" by retired Colonel Fyodor Yakovlevich Kulakov. He is a veteran, educates children in a patriotic spirit, prepares them for the upcoming service in the army, the same famous company commander who was the first to reach the Danube in the battle for Vienna, as confirmation of which he sent a bottle of river water to the regiment's command post. By the way, the veteran's own sons also became worthy Russian officers. Our poet, former paratrooper Vladimir Fedorov, influences the younger generation with poems on a patriotic theme. In his poetry, the idea was continued, expressed in lines written at one time by Konstantin Vanshenkin:

For the edification of your descendants,

To the enemies who are mad at fear

Our early youth has passed

In the airborne forces...

And you can cite such examples for a long time, because veterans of the Great Patriotic War continue to benefit the country, and our organizations literally live and function. So let the mass media help us in our work, and not make us look like infirm old people who dream of "taking a ride" on Red Square with the "last parade".

Front-line soldiers should feel their need for the Motherland and real care for themselves on the part of the state. Then they will still pass a solemn march. God forbid, not at the last parade

Nikolay GOLYSHEV, Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the 100th Guards Svir Red Banner Airborne Division

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