«ROCKET» IN FREE FLIGHT

A horse emerged from the thick fog. She slowly but surely descended the steep rocky slope. Behind her, one after another, the exhausted and tired border guards trudged along. Among them, barely holding on to the saddle, rode a rider, whose right leg below the knee was completely soaked in blood. He barely moved his half-closed eyes, and at times a moan escaped from pain in his leg: the uneven movement of the animal, stumbling over the ledges of stones, ruffled his wound ...

On August 2, 2010, servicemen of the Koksu frontier post, after a long and arduous hike along the mountain slopes, went down to a heating station - a refuge for soldiers in green caps, where they can rest, hide from the weather, and refresh themselves with food. The area for which the local border guards are responsible is impassable, with difficult terrain. Therefore, it is protected in a special way. A «horse patrol» comes out to guard the borders.

Entering the interior of the shelter, the border guards found a local shepherd in a semi-conscious state. Two days ago, he went to the mountains in search of the lost sheep. Descending from one of the mountain passes, he stumbled on rocks slippery after rain and broke his leg. Somehow bandaging the fracture with a scarf, the shepherd crawled to the heating station. There was no connection at this place. There were no companions with him. Therefore, all that remained was to rely on the border guards. Fortunately, two days later, his saviors entered the door. Having found out what was the matter, and also having examined the wound during dressing, the senior border squad, commandant of the Rudnichnaya border commandant’s office, Major Ivan Borsenko, makes a decision - to urgently move to the unit’s location and from there send the shepherd to the hospital. It was impossible to hesitate, as the wound turned slightly black, and dark spots were spreading along the leg. There was  danger of gangrene onset.

Having put the old man in the saddle, the border guards set off. As luck would have it, the weather has deteriorated sharply. The fog was firmly stuck on the tops of the mountains, and the valleys were as if flooded with thick white «milk». With the breath of the icy wind, large cold drops fell from the flying crowns. It seemed that gloomy and inhospitable November had dropped in on a visit to the bright and joyful summer August. In the mountains, as a rule, this often happens.

The road went steeply into the fog along the slopes. Under the influence of a light breeze, the haze either thickened or dissipated a little. And somewhere high above the travelers, steep cliffs hung.

Twenty minutes later, a thick fog densely enveloped the border guards from all sides. Ivan Borsenko gazed into the distance, but all around it was hopeless, only obscuring all the fog and gray sky. The officer realized that due to zero visibility, he had lost his way. Once again turning the compass in his hands, he again put the device in his pocket: the arrows did not want to indicate the direction of the sides, and the sky was clouded over.

«What is to be done? - the commandant thought tensely, mechanically patting the strong neck of his service horse - Rocket. - Time is rapidly running out, and the old man is getting worse and worse. Look how it groans. It may not hold out”.

The rocket, as if sensing the drama of the whole situation, patiently waited for its owner to set off again at the first order. She was an intelligent, tall, patient, and most importantly, hardy mare. There are more than a dozen such four-legged assistants at the mountain outposts. They create their own unique flavor in the unit. The servicemen say that sometimes horses are more reliable than any equipment and are the most convenient means of transport in these places. And what animal can match the sensuality, beauty and grace of movement with a horse? - None. And, probably, only a dog can be unselfish and devoted to man.

For almost the entire history of mankind, horses have been and still are helpers of people and for the military in particular. Here is Raketa, who has been on patrol with warriors in green caps for many years now, so he knows all the mountain paths better than any border guard. This was what the officer remembered.

Jumping from the saddle, Borsenko and the others ordered them to dismount. And then he let the knight, so to speak, into a free move. Thus, hoping that the clever animal will find its way by itself and lead the patrol group in the right direction - it will lead them to the Baratola border post.

So, holding on to each other, the servicemen continued on their way. In front of this chain was Rocket, followed by an officer, afraid in the thick fog to lose sight of the only guide.

And the cold rain continued to drizzle, leaving its clean and shiny traces on the ground.

Finally, after the long four hours, the road, having skirted the extreme gigantic boulders, brought the border guards out into a small gap, where, quite unexpectedly, the outlines of the Baratola emerged from the fog. The servicemen went out onto an open section of a mountain road leading directly to the commandant’s office. And on the already familiar course, the border guards galloped up to their unit.

So Rocket, who saved not only the wounded shepherd, became the protagonist of the outpost. And the military is not against this situation, because the horses on the extreme borders of the country are also full-fledged border guards.