THE MOMENT OF PRIVATE GAIDAI
The sun just recently, standing at its zenith, hiding behind the tops of trees, slowly rolled over the horizon.
The calm waters of the river rippled calmly in the reflections of the sunset.
Suddenly the evening silence was pierced by children’s screams.
Little girls screamed as they ran across the bridge and looked at the reservoir in panic horror ...
That evening, the senior instructor of special dogs at the Bidaik border checkpoint (auto) of the Petropavlovsk border detachment, Private Sergei Gaidai, after the night shift, decided to take a short walk along the river bank.
As a boy, Sergei ran to this pond with a fishing rod. With friends, he raced across it up and down. He splashed with joyful laughter in its transparent waters.
This quiet reservoir kept many vivid memories from a carefree childhood.
Nothing has changed since then. Only the wooden bridge connecting the village with the «town» - the modern part of the settlement, became dilapidated over time, and its old boards creaked and swayed underfoot.
Arriving at the shore, Sergei looked around.
Hearing the sudden cry of a child, he turned his gaze to the pond, in which a woman was floundering hopelessly.
The border guard, without hesitation, jumped after her.
The chill of icy water pierced his entire body. But this circumstance did not diminish his decisiveness. In no time, the dog handler swam to the drowning woman and wanted to push her to the shore. But the woman, choking and crying, pointed to the bottom.
Sergei realized that there was someone else under the water.
The young man, drawing air into his lungs, dived into the pool.
Having touched the bottom, he began to feel it: he came across some incomprehensible objects under his arms - fragments of a hose, pieces of iron.
Almost gasping for breath, but continuing to search feverishly, Sergei finally caught hold of someone’s clothes. Sharply jerking it up, the border guard emerged to the surface with the child.
By that time, the woman, completely exhausted, was lying on her back, almost motionless. Sergei laid the child on his stomach and with an incredible effort pulled both of them to the shore.
The five-year-old boy Nuradil showed no signs of life. Not at a loss even at this moment, Sergei, with quick, dexterous movements, provided first aid. He gave the child artificial respiration and chest compressions.
To everyone’s joy, the boy opened his eyes and breathed.
After recovering a little, Makhabbat Zhetpisova, grateful for the salvation, said that, unable to swim, she jumped after her son, who fell into the water due to a broken rotten board under his feet, crossing the bridge.
***
With his decisive actions, Private S. Gaidai fulfilled his civic duty, showed self-control and endurance and saved, as it turned out, not two lives, but three: the woman he saved was pregnant.
The relatives and friends of Makhabbat thanked Sergei for his heroic deed. And they assured that only a border guard could act so selflessly.
***
The relatives and friends of Makhabbat thanked Sergei for his heroic deed. And they assured that only a border guard could act so selflessly.
Once a famous writer said: “A moment is enough to become a hero. But it takes a lifetime to become a worthy person.» - Tooting.
And if you think about it, not everyone will lend a helping hand, while risking their own life and health: one will hasten to pass by and will not even look towards the dying person; another will begin to coolly shoot everything that happens on a smartphone camera. And only a few, people with truly moral souls, without hesitation for a second, will rush into the fire, throw themselves into the icy water, selflessly saving the life of another person.
Heroism is inherent only in noble individuals with enormous spiritual and moral resources, such as those of the border guard Sergei Gaidai.
***
The act of Private S. Gaidai was assessed by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lieutenant General Yerlan Turgumbayev. On his behalf, in a solemn atmosphere, the serviceman was awarded the medal «For the rescue of drowning people».
With words of gratitude for the upbringing of employees - real defenders of the Motherland, devoted to the people and interests of the Border Service, a letter of thanks came from the Rector of the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lieutenant General of Justice Yergali Merzadinov.
By order of the Director of the Border Guard Service, Lieutenant General Darkhan Dilmanov, for his determination, courage and bravity, Private Sergei Gaidai was awarded the title of the Best Border Guard of 2019.