In honour of the heroes

Houses No. 6 and No. 11 in Borovka now bear witness to the fact that Heroes once lived here. On the eve of Independence Day, memorial plaques were unveiled in honour of Hero of the Soviet Union Major General Boris Getz, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Marshal Ivan Yakubovsky, and Hero of Russia Lieutenant General Vladimir Bokovikov.
Boris Getz's family – his wife, children, and great-grandchildren – attended the rally held in Borovka for this occasion.
After a minute of silence, the initiator of the event, local historian Andrey Baranovsky, who was born in the former military town of Borovka, gave a speech. He noted that the gathering was preceded by meticulous historical research, which resulted in the identification of twelve heroes who had served in Borovka at different times.
- Perhaps one day, our settlement will have a common monument to all these individuals, - Andrey Leonidovich expressed his hope, and briefly recounted the biographies of those in whose honour the memorial plaques were unveiled that day.
One of them, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Marshal Ivan Yakubovsky, visited Borovka in 1970, his home at number 11, while already serving as First Deputy Minister of Defence of the USSR. Ivan Ignatievich served here from December 1935 to September 1939, commanding first a tank platoon and then a company. For his heroism in the battles for Fastiv, where the 91st Tank Brigade destroyed 30 enemy tanks in a single day, Ivan Ignatievich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He received this title for the second time for his heroic actions in the Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive.
Major General Boris Getz also served with Ivan Yakubovsky in the Third Guards Tank Army. He was one of the first to cross the Dnieper under continuous enemy machine-gun and mortar fire on the night of September 24, 1943, holding his position until the entire battalion had crossed. In 1959, Boris Gavrilovich's family moved to Borovka. After living in the military town for five years, they relocated to Borisov.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Bokovikov, who served here for seven years, met his future wife in Borovka. These places became the birthplace of his eldest son, Leonid. Vladimir Nikolaevich lives in Moscow and works in the "Rosatom" system. For his courage and heroism displayed during the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and the "Golden Star" medal in 2000.
- Today, we have the opportunity to touch the history of our great country, the biographies of those

people who made this history," noted the Deputy Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Nikolai Nikitin. "May the young people present here not fully realize what event they are witnessing. I think, over time, they will feel pride for the place they live in, for being able to walk those paths, to enter the house where the heroes lived. And I hope we will immortalize the names of all those Borovka residents who became famous in stone."
The rally was also addressed by the commander of the Zaslonovo garrison, Colonel Nikolai Miklashevich. The chairman of the Borovka organization of the Belarusian Union of Officers, Vadim Naimushin, recalled his service in the tank forces in the 1970s-1980s:
"At that time, the head of the combat training department of the 7th Tank Army was Major General Boris Getz. And many of us met him directly, participated in operations he led. He organized every serious exercise..."
On behalf of the entire family, Boris Gavrilovich's daughter, Natalia Platonova, thanked the organizers of the event.
And here is the long-awaited moment – the unveiling of memorial plaques. The right to lay flowers at the monuments to fellow countrymen-partisans and internationalist soldiers was granted to members of the Belarusian Union of Internationalist Veterans, the Officers' Union, and the Pioneer Organization.
A salute in honor of the heroes. The ceremonial march of soldiers of the 231st Artillery Brigade and the 427th Rocket Artillery Regiment concludes the rally. In a few minutes, the Borovka residents disperse to their homes, but the memory of the heroes remains immortalized in the memorial plaques.
The search work will be continued by the son of a rocket artillery officer, a native of Borovka, Andrey Baranovsky, who in the 2000s set himself the goal of learning the unknown history of his native region. Archives, libraries, interviews with people – the collected material about the Borovka military town will be reflected in his book "Memory". The author plans to finish it within a year. Hundreds of people from a dozen countries – such is the geography of the search. However, the most important thing is that it has not been in vain. Despite currently living in Dzerzhinsk, Andrey Leonidovich has not forgotten his small homeland. He wants to tell others about the history of the Borovka land...

Ekaterina OSOVSKAYA