My grandmother' story...:
When my grandmother was small,
She thought her
parents didn't love her much at all.
Because she was a
girl.
And her brother could
do what he wanted,
They would fight and
mother was always on the brother's side:
He is a boy, he is
right.
Then the Second World
War started.
Her three uncles and
two aunts went the very first day,
Summer, was summer
again...
In less than a months
papers, almost the same day,
Military mail..
You will never see them again...
Now, winter, her
brother turn, he was almost eighteen years old.
The war is going on and on, further in our lands.
I have go, - her brother said, I will be back.
I know.
She knew, knew, she wants him back home and there is no chance if he wouldn't be back.
When many people gave
up, when mothers stopped to believe and wait,
All she repeated: we
will win, he will be back, every minute, every second.
It was not two
counties war any more,
It was her war too.
And guess how won?
An old ugly witch war
or
A beautiful young
girl?
The girl who could
see places she had never been,
Who could see faces,
who could feel,
Who could stop a
machine gun,
And change the
direction of an enemy tank.
The girl who stood up
against the war, looked straight at her eyes and said only one time:
"He is mine,
don't even try!".
Who do you think won?
From an old village
far away,
She brought her
brother home back.
Everyone was
surprised,
Who can go to the war
and never be touched once?
His fellow soldiers thought he was good luck.
He has medals, he is
parents pride.
They did not know,
The sister wanted her
brother only to be alive,
More than anything in
the world.
June 22, 1941,
Beautiful day, right
after my Birthday.
I thought, I
will have it all,
I even liked one boy.
Someone screaming:
War, war, turn on the
radio.
4 pm, nothing will be
the same again.
Old women crying:
Oh, my God, oh, my
God!
Sons, why do you have
to go!?
Wives asking husbands:
What is going to be now?
Men getting ready
without a word,
Stone faces: we will
be back with victory.
Took only ten minutes
to make huge lines near the school,
The registration started.
All men from 18 to 55
years old,
Women, nurses and
telephonists
Must go
immediately...
Men and women waiting.
The next day radios
are working nonstop,
Our leader had the
first talk:
Brothers and sisters
we will together stay
And face our enemy.
We all became brothers and sisters, felt that way.
Everyone is getting
ready,
All prepared:
Food, milk, bread,
clothes...
Our army officers walked in school.
We can see trough the window.
The teacher leaves,
Her son in Grade 12.
My brother's class and another one
Called together for a meeting,
All the girls were told to leave the room.
No school...
Every boy almost 18, 17 went to the war next day.
Our country could not wait.
It was so bad.
A letter from my brother:
Only one time I felt giving up during the
war.
1942, new year,
Our army was not winning,
Was not getting a chance,
No left friends,
Standing like wall near the capital,
No more road back.
Only one of thousand could survive after each
fight.
Then it was a new way.
All the solders and generals were told the same
time:
You are men, right?
Think what would happen if we loose here now?
What would happen to our women and children?
They are working day at night, factories,
hospitals, farms,
cutting forest, building train roads,
Seven years old children taking your place on big factories.
Women, sick men left behind, giving us their blood like cows give milk,
Sending you last piece of bread.
And they are not giving up!
What would happen to them?
Think about our women here,
Standing side by side,
Who go after you in each fight,
Hoping only to be on time.
You are soldiers, you have guns, bombs, tanks,
The nurses, doctors have only medical bags.
Think again what would happen to them...
It was the first day of our victory.
The first happiest day at that war
Was when my cousin, a nurse,
Got home for 3 days!
Everyone was at her house just to see
Someone who returned from the war.
Two medals on the uniform.
It was December, 1941.
She had concussion in a battle,
But was smiling like nothing ever happened:
You know what,
I have twenty seven brothers...
We promised, if we get out after one time,
We all will be sisters and brothers.
The first two years were the hardest one.
One day from Moscow,
Two days from bombs
and thanks,
We stood up strong.
All young and most of
old men were gone,
Not eighteen still
had to go:
The enemies didn't
blew up our cities to say "hello".
I remember my mother
slapped my face first time:
Ira, don't cry. Keep
your tears for our victory.
My father was working
day and night,
We didn't know he
almost didn't eat,
Kept the bread for
me.
Mother could only
ask,
When she was back
from working on the farm:
If any letters from
my brother, what's new,
If I ate and did my
homework.
Women felt sorry for
us, girls,
No matter what, we
had to go to school.
I saw women pulling
metal pieces,
Digging the dry land,
Our army needed
bread,
Twice a months a big
truck,
What can you give to
our victory,
We gave everything.
No way we would let
our men go down,
If we were standing
behind.
We believed...
1943 changed everything.
The enemy realized,
We will stay until the end,
This is our land.
No matter what,
How it was hard being in the army, or
Working days and nights behind.
Word "No" was said.
And we turned from being attacked
Into attackers.
That how we got medals,
Liberated lands, freed people,
Put our flags all across Europe
Till we reached the attackers land.
1943 changed everything.
The enemy realized,
We will stay until the end,
This is our land.
No matter what,
How it was hard being in the army, or
Working days and nights behind.
Word "No" was said.
And we turned from being attacked
Into attackers.
That how we got medals,
Liberated lands, freed people,
Put our flags all across Europe
Till we reached the attackers land.
The war made us stronger,
Made us fight back harder and harder
Every single day more and more.
We would wake up every morning,
Like warriors.
What else can we do
To bring our men and women home?
Even children, young partisans,
Said "no" to our enemy.
We repeated, standing on the farms, factories,
Building roads, again and again:
We can, we can, we can!
Without doubt our fathers, mothers, brothers,
sisters,
Grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins
Will be back home.
War was not a joke, not slap in the face
It was about life.
And we were not ever give it up.
It took four years, but we did it.
We brought victory to our home!
My brother wrote a letter from the
front line.
It was 1945, May 9,
The most beautiful day:
My dear people,
You are always the one here with me.
I know when I am alone,
You are behind and make me feel strong.
We had terrible fights,
Even we thought it might be the end,
We stood, we went again and again.
No step back, never, no way.
Every day, morning, night.
We would go forward again and again,
Looking up, " the victory" men.
We did it! We win!
The Victory day,
Music on the radio everywhere!
The biggest thought we, women, had,
The war is over and our men will be back.
Thin, sick, tired, with gray hair,
But alive!
Thank you, God,
They returned home alive...
I asked old soldier:
Were you afraid at
least one time?
He said: yes, of
course, I won't lie.
I didn't know what's next,
What to expect.
In times when fear
was stopping me,
I closed my eyes, and
voice inside,
Would push me
forward:
It's for the future,
you will be fine;
Go, make one step,
then one more,
And more, and more...
Now, see, I am with you at home,
Watching my children grow, my grandchildren play,
I was strong for them.
After the war we rebuilt our
destroyed cities,
Rebuilt our burned land,
We started all over,
We started again, day after day, brick after
brick, not just for us,
Who made it, walked through.
We did it for people,
Who covered us, stood up in frond,
And said: no way I let you touch my sons and
my daughters, my home, my peace.
We rebuilt our land for our children, far away
chubby grandkids
to walk and enjoy, love, live, be strong.
We are the one who can do it all...
For us winning was
Only matter of time.
We knew, from day one,
From the moment we heard the news on radios:
Nothing ever will stop us.
We will win, stepping every day
Closer to the victory.
Because the last time we lost any war
Was eleven century.
Our King at that time,
Who after won any way said:
Don't go with swords against our people.
I am always proud of us,
Who said "never I will be a slave".
Who didn't start the war, but
Who ended it.
I am proud of my uncles, aunts, cousins, my brother, my parents, all our people.
Who believed, was fighting back, didn't hide,
Didn't get scared, didn't quite.
Who brought victory to our home.
I am always proud of us,
Who said "never I will be a slave".
Who didn't start the war, but
Who ended it.
I am proud of my uncles, aunts, cousins, my brother, my parents, all our people.
Who believed, was fighting back, didn't hide,
Didn't get scared, didn't quite.
Who brought victory to our home.
