Letters from Afghanistan
Were soldiers and officers serving in Afghanistan allowed to inform their families of their whereabouts? The pioneers of 1979-1980 were strictly forbidden to do so. Of course, we are talking about the first months of their stay in this exotic country. Special departments carefully monitored the soldiers' mail.
I remember one episode that happened closer to spring: my former gunner-operator Volodya Krasavin was summoned to the battalion headquarters because he wrote the phrase "poppies have blossomed" in one of his letters. His excuse that the word "Afghanistan" was missing from the text did not make an impression. "Don't be silly," they answered him at headquarters. "Next time it will not be just a conversation."
During our first days in Afghanistan, we had no envelopes. We hadn't brought any with us, assuming we were going on an unplanned major live-fire exercise. No one knew how long it would last, but it certainly wouldn't be months. We thought we'd be gone for a week or two at most. What letters? We'll write when we get back.
After the New Year, in January 1980, everyone was sure that we would soon be withdrawn from Afghanistan. The paratroopers had fulfilled their task perfectly: the coup had taken place, the 40th Army had entered the country - all that was left was to wait. Everyone was sure that the field post number had not been assigned for this very reason: we would soon return to the Union. Moreover, the company tents had still not been delivered to the division, which strengthened our conviction that we were preparing to return to winter quarters.
During this time, the personnel were outside and had to sleep in the BMD, which was no warmer than in the cold; the only advantage was the lack of wind. During the day, in free minutes, they had to warm themselves near the exhaust pipes of combat vehicles. But, surprisingly, despite the long days in the cold, no one got sick. Apparently, during such stressful periods, the body activates a strong defense mechanism.
In mid-January 1980, the battalion's deputy commander for political affairs gathered the personnel and strongly recommended sending letters home. A month had passed since there had been any news from us, and relatives might have questions: "Where are we?" When the deputy commander for political affairs asked, "How can I write letters if there are no envelopes?", he replied that he had sent a triangular letter himself. This is what soldiers did during the Great Patriotic War. However, I do not recall anyone taking advantage of the deputy commander's advice: with this method of sending letters, relatives would have had even more questions.
Soon envelopes appeared, and it became possible to write letters. However, correspondence was not sent directly to the addresses. All letters were first delivered to Borovukha-1, where our regiment was stationed. At the local post office, the envelopes were stamped, and only then were the letters sent to their destination. At home, our relatives received messages with a stamp from Belarus, maintaining the illusion that we were in our native places. Many, by the way, never sent any letters, not knowing what to write about. Even if they had allowed us to mention our location, what could we have written: that we had been drawn into battle?
Division Commander Ivan Fedorovich Ryabchenko:
We talked about internationalism. And we perceived this word not as a catchy slogan, but as a precise definition of the feelings that we experienced while preparing to do a just deed. It is now obvious that our rightness turned out to be very dubious, that our feelings were fueled by idealism and ignorance in our ideas about the neighboring country, the most complex processes taking place there, but then, as they say, we had no questions.
They appeared later. This idealism was short-lived. Already at the end of February – beginning of March 1980, after the first operations to eliminate the gangs, changes in mood became noticeable.
Why are we here? What is the meaning of our actions? These are the most typical questions that the participants of those events asked themselves.
They appeared later. This idealism was short-lived. Already at the end of February – beginning of March 1980, after the first operations to eliminate the gangs, changes in mood became noticeable.
Why are we here? What is the meaning of our actions? These are the most typical questions that the participants of those events asked themselves.
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