FATHER, YOU CAN BE PROUD OF ME!

Private Daniyar Onerbay pressed the grenade tightly with all his fingers and pulled out the safety pin, pulled his right hand back for a throw and ... unexpectedly dropped it right under his feet ...

On June 19, 2019, ordinary exercises were held at the KNB Border Academy training ground - soldiers of the military unit 2027 threw combat grenades. During the field training, the soldiers had to practice their skills in throwing grenades. And yet the exercises were commonplace, most likely, for the officers, and for the recruits it was an important event.

On the eve, the soldiers of the communications regiment discussed the upcoming test for a long time. All of them were united by a premonition of something significant, real, perhaps the most important in their, at that time, not rich in the events of a soldier’s life.

On that day, the deputy commander of the unit, Colonel Sergei Smitskikh, in the literal sense of the word, a wise person, was the senior at the training firing point. Behind the officer’s shoulders there is a cadet school, the Military Institute of the KNB, years of service in the Zaisan, Chundzhinsky, Karasai border detachments, in the regional administration «Shygys». In the late nineties - early 2000s, the colonel participated in the deployment of the Saryagash border detachment. At that time, together with other border officers, he made a lot of mental, physical and moral efforts to ensure that new border outposts and commandant’s offices were formed in a bare place in the shortest possible time and, most importantly, functioned.

And here is the shooting range. Weary from the long journey, the soldiers looked around with curiosity. The division was assigned to training points.

Soon, at the very edge of the field, the first group listened attentively to the last instruction before the start of the exercise. It seemed that at that moment all the hardships and deprivations of a soldier’s life for the soldiers remained somewhere far from the firing line. How much joy and childish enthusiasm there was in these young faces in anticipation of a truly military occupation. The soldiers wanted to become real soldiers, to be like their commanders.

With particular attention, the recruits watched as their experienced mentor once again showed and explained the order of the grenade throwing exercise.

And now the first explosions were heard.

The soldiers holding their breath, from under cover watched the actions of their colleagues.

Colonel S.Smitskikh , as expected, was in the trench.

The guys one by one ran up to the head of the lesson, where one by one they performed the exercise dexterously, clearly, without unnecessary fuss and excitement.

Then the fighters, pleased with themselves, proud that their hand did not flinch at the most crucial moment, returned to the dugout and encouraged others with a friendly pat on the shoulder, who still had to pass the test for courage, telling them that everything was not so scary as it seemed at the beginning ...

Time passed quickly. It was the turn of Private D. Onerby. Overcoming the fear treacherously lurking in his soul, Daniyar bent down and ran along the winding paths of the trench to his mentor.

And here they are together at the edge of the field. Colonel S. Smitskikh, looking into the eyes of the soldier, once again repeated the procedure for him. And only then he handed over a combat shell.

But the soldier did not complete the task. The grenade fell into the trench. At any second, it could explode and kill a soldier with an officer. As in a stupor, Daniyar, not understanding anything, stood and looked at his feet.

It took Colonel Sergei Smitskikh a fraction of a second to assess the situation, make the only correct decision and react instantly. With a quick movement of his hand, he threw the grenade away into the trench and, risking his life, covered Daniyar with himself.

A moment later, the grenade exploded half a meter from the officer with the soldier.

The explosion seemed to deafen them: the ringing silence lasted so long. Then, as if from afar, the shouts of the soldiers and the alarmed voice of the regiment commander were heard.

The officer woke up already in a military hospital, where, on an emergency basis, he and the soldier were taken and operated on.

Both survived. Miraculous.

***

They were placed in the same hospital ward. Daniyar recovered quickly, cheerfully, with undisguised interest, constantly questioning his savior about the service at the border and worried that because of the incident he had lagged behind his colleagues, who had long been sent to the border outposts.

Looking at the young boy, Sergei Viktorovich, despite the burning pain from multiple shrapnel wounds received, never once doubted the correctness of his bold act.

 And how could he have done anything else?! No! He could not. After all, it was precisely for such qualities as the courage and courage of officers that he once chose the fate of a military man. After all, this is exactly what his father once was, and died in the line of duty.

***

As a very young boy, he admired and was proud of his father, the captain of the fire service of the Markakol region, Viktor Smitsky.

The officer remembers how often on the sly, when his parents were at work, he took out his father’s dress uniform from the closet and admired the medal «For Courage», which Viktor Andreyevich was awarded for saving people in a fire.

He remembers his father as a tall, stately man, with a kind smile, strong arms and a confident gait.

His working day was often irregular. It happened that even in the middle of the night, my father would break loose to help people in trouble.

But those rare days when Viktor Andreevich was at home were considered a real holiday for the whole family.

Sergey Viktorovich also remembers that fatal July day when, due to the record heat, a forest caught fire in the mountains. The fire embraced a huge territory.

Firefighters from all over the Kurchum Territory went to fight the fire element. Among them was his father - a courageous firefighter, with all his heart devoted to his profession.

On one of the sites in a hilly area with steep slopes, a fire engine, in which Viktor Andreyevich was, fell off the mountain and turned over several times.

So Colonel S. Smitskikh was left without a father,without his most important mentor in life. But his dedication to his chosen profession, dedication and courage were still passed on to him - his son.

Therefore, it is not surprising that, covering the fighter with his body, saving his life, Sergei Viktorovich did not hesitate for a minute. He didn’t think about his own safety.

The courageous act of the colonel, who put the officer’s duty above his life, was highly appreciated by the President of the country K. Tokayev. The officer was awarded the Aibyn order of the 1st degree.

Now he, like his father, will have an order for courage on his ceremonial tunic.

“Father, you can be proud of me,” the officer mentally turned to his dearest person.