THERE IS NO LAND FOR ME FURTHER

Major Kanat Berdikulov was born at the very border, in the Maktaaral region. From childhood he has been familiar with the pictures, so accurately described by the poet «Dreams descend for a short time into that house / In that house, rifles stand against the wall. / Here there is a border ...» behind the forbidden line there live the fraternal people, no one is allowed to transgress it.

It often happens that pictures from childhood determine a person’s path to adulthood, and the instructions of his parents become his credo. This is exactly what happened with Major Kanat Berdikulov, he did his military service directly at the border, and since then he has remained loyal to his troops. Standing at the forefront of the Fatherland, the young soldier realized the enormous responsibility for the line entrusted to him.

 The commanders taught him - the state begins from the border, this is the first line, and on it the whole country is tested for strength. Any guest - both with good intentions and uninvited - is first met by the border guard. Apparently, fate was so pleased that he devoted his life to serving at the border, where the beginning of the day begins in the early evening, and the arrival of night does not promise the personnel a quick fall to sleep. «Green caps» guard the borders of the Motherland, from which one cannot take a step back.

Kanat Berdikulov was born in the border region in the south of the country, in the Maktaaral region. Their aul Myrzashoky and the neighboring Uzbek village were separated by a narrow branch of water, through which a bridge was thrown. On the outskirts of the village, children looked after the grazing cattle and vigilantly watched so that Uzbek children did not cross this bridge to our side. Nobody taught them this, and although they never said anything bad about the children of the neighboring state, they did not allow them to set foot on their native land.

- My brother is a border guard, - Kanat Berdikulov told about himself. - That is why I chose the profession of watchmaking in the Motherland. Another reason for our choice was my mother. She is very proud. In the nineties of the last century, it became the norm to avoid military service, and there were those who tried to escape from the army. And, our mother Tursynay Baitemirovna, on the contrary, wanted all three of her children to serve in the Armed Forces. She said: «I will not protect any of you from serving in the army, all three of you will fulfill your duty to the Motherland».

 

 

His first commander, Colonel Valentin Luterovich, is also sure that Kanat Berdikulov made a conscious choice.

- I think Kanat was not accidentally drafted into the Border Troops, - he is sure. - The guy grew up in the border area; he is a very responsible person and a patriot of his country. In my opinion, the employees of the military registration and enlistment office appreciated his preparation for service, and went to meet his wishes.

Valentin Luterovich immediately saw in him a good officer. And, he met his future subordinate when he served in the Zaisan border detachment, in 2000. The officer came for young specialists to the BMP School in the Zharkent border detachment. Among the junior sergeants who trained for the position of BMP commanders there was Kanat Berdikulov. He immediately liked the fit, athletic guy. Valentin Luterovich, who brought the young replenishment from Zharkent to Zaisan, recalls that for Kanat and other southerners, the journey to the east of the country in December was not easy, but they endured it.

“We served in the same unit,” says Valentin Luterovich. -Let’s say right away that the unit is not easy. At that time, the senior lieutenant served as Deputy Head of the motorized maneuvering group, and Kanat Berdikulov served as the commander of an infantry fighting vehicle. He immediately showed himself on the good side, and six months later, the senior soldiers who were retired to the reserve, in conversations with the Deputy Head of the motorized group, spoke of the junior sergeant as a promising commander

However, later Kanat Berdikulov was transferred to the south, to his homeland - at that time the Saryagash border guard detachment was being formed. There, having completed his soldier’s term, the hero of our story remained for contract service.

 

 

But, in 2007, their paths crossed again already at the academy. Valentin Luterovich transferred from the border to the university and took command of the 4th training battalion. And, Kanat Berdikulov was the foreman of the cadets there, he studied in the 3rd course. According to Colonel Valentin Lutherovich, this was the most effective foreman. The guy was an excellent student, and he was older than other cadets, who already knew what a border was. The best foreman of the division successfully completed the 4th training division in 2009.

Among other excellent graduates, he received lieutenant shoulder straps from the hands of the First President of the country, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

According to Colonel Valentin Luterovich, he was an ideal cadet, he also showed good sports results. Therefore, there were all the prerequisites for Kanat Berdikulov to be left in the academy, because a cadet who passed the border, as a course officer, could bring a lot of benefits.

And when Colonel Valentin Luterovich, who was leaving to study in Minsk, was asked whom he sees as his successor, he named Kanat Berdikulov. Despite the fact that he was not yet a senior officer, but only a captain, he was appointed to the position of battalion commander. There was no doubt that he would bring his personnel to the forefront. And life has shown that the commanders were not mistaken.

Kanat Berdikulov became an example for his subordinates in everything. He always follows the admonition of the glorious son of the Kazakh people Bauyrzhan Momyshuly: «An officer can call himself an officer if he is constantly working on himself.» He studies a lot, in his free time he reads classics, foreign authors, business and methodological literature, because the words of Alexander Suvorov, who taught that the commander needs continuous education of himself in the sciences through reading, have not lost their relevance today. He is called the standard of a Kazakh officer, but he is also a wonderful father. Unfortunately, it is not possible to devote enough time to the family; such is the reality of many defenders of the Fatherland.

 The training division under the command of Captain Kanat Berdikulov was named the «Best Training Division» at the Military Council of the Border Guard Service at the end of 2016. For this, Kanat Berdikulov was awarded the rank of «Major» ahead of schedule.

It is not for nothing that the people say: «Education begins from the cradle.» Devotion and love for their Fatherland, for their people are called in one word «patriotism», and for a military man it is also a readiness for any sacrifices and exploits for the sake of the interests of their Motherland. Kanat absorbed love for the Fatherland together with the air of the aul in which he was born and raised, with the instructions of his parents, with the stories of school teachers about fair biys and brave warriors.

- Abai is very wise, - believes Kanat Berdikulov, - I think if you follow the Charter and live in accordance with the words of the edification of the great writer, you can achieve a lot.

Together with his brother, Kanat went in for sports since childhood, eventually became interested in athletics. Later, while serving in the Saryagash border detachment - hand-to-hand combat, he took the second place in the championship of the Border Service. When he studied at the academy, he won the first place in hand-to-hand fighting more than once, and went to international competitions in Tashkent. However, the intense rhythm of study did not make it possible to engage in this sport at a professional level.

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...I remember that summer day in 2009, when he was among the four of the 12 best cadets in the training division of Lieutenant Colonel Valentin Lutherovich, who received officer shoulder straps from the hands of the President - Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Nursultan Nazarbayev. It is immodest to talk about this often, but there are two people - mother Tursynay Baytemirovna and his wife Indira - who do not forget about this significant event in the life of a cadet. What is to say when, having learned about this fact, together with the relatives of the young officer, the people of the native village were happy.

-During the week we were preparing for the upcoming meeting with the Head of State, - recalls Kanat Berdikulov. - We were trained by officers. When the ceremony was over, everyone was invited to take a picture with the President of the country. We looked at our commanders, and then I ran up and stood on the right hand of Nursultan Nazarbayev, and my classmate took a seat on the left side.

 

 

Then, as a lieutenant, I was left at the academy, appointed Head of the 441st training outpost at the training division of Lieutenant Colonel Valentin Luterovich. In August 2015, I was on another vacation, when my commander called me and said: “Kanat, I am leaving to study in Minsk. Do you accept my post? I’ll give it to you.” I tried to object, because I was only in the rank of captain. How else would the leadership react to this? But Valentin Olegovich was decisive, and the words of my commander gave me strength.

-Everything was exactly so as my commander said. At first, for six months, I temporarily served as the commander of a training division and proved that I could take this position. Six months later, I was approved as the Commander of the training division.

Major Kanat Berdikulov continues to serve. He is an example for subordinates, a wonderful father, a loving husband and a caring son. In the poem of the king of poetry Mukagali Makatayev, who was born in the border region, entitled «On the border» there are the words: «I stand on the edge of the Fatherland, / There is no land for me further.» The patriot of his Motherland and the brilliant border guard officer Berdikulov knows for sure that the border is the edge of your Motherland, this is the border beyond which there is no land for a warrior.