Sergei Yurov congratulated veteran Vasily Golotyuk on his 96th birthday

The head of the Balashikha city district, secretary of the local branch of United Russia, Sergei Yurov, together with Hero of the Russian Federation Sergei Lysyuk, members of the Young Guard of United Russia and the First Movement, visited a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, an honorary citizen of the Moscow region and Balashikha city district, Vasily Leontyevich Golotyuk, who turned 96 years old on February 6. The head congratulated the veteran couple Lyudmila Ivanovna and presented them with memorable gifts and flowers. “Dear Vasily Leontyevich! On this day and for many years to come, I wish you good health and prosperity. You are the pride of our city and an example for all of us and the younger generation. Thank you for everything you did for Balashikha and for the country. We appreciate your feat and thank you for your strong will, courage and perseverance. We owe a great debt to all the veterans of the Vedic War Great nation. Thank you very much! – Thank you Sergey Yurov. In a warm family atmosphere over a cup of tea, Vasily Leontyevich told about his activities in the underground anti-fascist organization in 1942-1944, where he was with one of his brothers, about studying at the military aviation school and the air force academy, as well as about serving in the air defense forces and working in civilian positions at the General Ministry. air defense staff, at the Military Academy of Aerospace Defense named after Marshal of the Soviet Union GK Defense of the Russian Federation “In July 1941, German troops came to our village in the Kyiv region. At that time, our family had five children, I was the youngest. The older brother went to the front as a pilot, the older sister worked as a teacher, was evacuated from the same school, a middle brother was kidnapped to Germany, the second brother Peter, born in 1927, was not yet drafted into the army so he decided to join the region's underground forces. “I followed him too,” the veteran recalled. This is where 11-year-old Vasily Golotyuk began working in an underground anti-fascist organization. The teenagers, together with other underground fighters, monitored, received and transmitted information about the real situation in the region and all settlements there. To receive actual information from the front, they established their own “radio center.” “The Germans took all the tube radios, but it was necessary to receive information. The residents were in the dark, many rumors spread, often the Germans spread “information” favorable to them. So we created our own “radio unit” with a simple radio detector, which worked without an amplifier and an external power source. It only used the energy of the received signal. But there was not enough electricity, so we made an antenna from a broom, tied it to a long stick, and I climbed up higher up the tree. So we heard the report in front of the Soviet Information Bureau,” Vasily Leontyevich continued his story. At night, young underground fighters wrote news on paper and posted front-line news leaflets in residential areas in the region. The Golotyuk brothers also participated in sabotage groups aimed at disarming German convoys and officers. Vasily Leontievich won in his native Zhashkovsky district of the Kyiv region. After the war, he graduated from the Kiev Industrial College, completed training at the flying club and entered the Chernigov Military Aviation Pilot School. In 1953, he became one of the first to master the latest MiG-15 and later MiG-17 missile fighters, which defended the skies over Leningrad after the war. Military pilot first class in the Leningrad District served from 1953 to 1965. He was exempted from active military service in September 1985 as deputy head of the operational management department of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces. He then worked in various civilian positions for more than 25 years. VL Golotyuk was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the II degree, the Order of the Red Star and “For Service to the Fatherland in the Soviet Armed Forces”, III degree and medals. Vasily Golotyuk and his family moved to Balashikha in 1973, where he continued to serve at the headquarters of the air defense forces. Veteran author of scientific articles published in the Military Encyclopedia. Honorary member of the Academy of Military Sciences, member of the Military Science Association named after MV Frunze at the Central House of the Russian Army. Over the years, Vasily Golotyuk has co-authored 17 books on the history of air defense, the Russian Air Force and other publications. In particular, the book “Heroes of Balashikha”, published on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Vasily Leontievich has lived with his wife Lyudmila Ivanovna for almost 70 years. At the end of February, the veterans will celebrate their great anniversary – a happy wedding. They raised two sons and have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As the family gathered around the dinner table, the veterans happily sang their favorite songs from the movie “Slug Paradise” (1945) “We, friends, are passing birds” and “It's time to go.” So on this day, their voices rang out in unison, literally and figuratively. Where harmonious sounds are combined with complete unity and coherence in thoughts and actions of a true and strong family. Valentina Chubenko