My Grandpa, Ilya Markovich (September 28, 1912-August 11-12, 2018 Midnight), saw Joseph Stalin, at the tribune, while he was marching in a military parade as a midshipman in the 1930s. He lost his brother, my great uncle Boris, who was arrested and executed by Stalin’s men. Ilya hated Hitler because he remembered Operation Barbarossa very well. My Grandpa has participated in WWII as a Russian Naval Officer. During his years in the Navy, he has received medals for honor and valor. He received the rank of Naval Officer before WWII, which put him in charge of the lives of others. He had to make decisions about how his orders should be obeyed. He led other sailors into battle. He was at the front lines as a naval officer in the Baltic Sea battle, at Kronstadt, and risked his life to defend his country and fight the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler. He also teamed with the Army Artillery to coordinate fire. His ship evacuated Army soldiers surrounded by enemies. His ship, Destroyer, was attacked by enemy aircraft, hit by a mine, and almost sank. However, he managed to survive that horrible disaster. In each sea battle, he lost many of his friends. He always put the well being ahead of his own. He brought food and water for his family during the blockade. It was around Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg). He was stationed on an island not far from there. He walked on the ice to the city to bring food to his family. Ilya risked his life so that others could live. If my grandpa didn’t walk over ice from the island naval base into the city, his family would have died. After WWII, he continued his service, as a Naval Commander, at the Far East at Kronstadt. Before he died, Ilya still remembered Stalin and Hitler today. He had retired and lived at a Nursing Home nearby my home. He took his health easily and is always careful. Every year on Europe’s Victory day, he had always bring his medals and photos of his friends from his days in the Navy because it meant a lot to him because when Ilya heard Stalin's victory speech on May 9 1945, he was relieved that the allies have won. When I saw the medals for the first time on Victory Day, they looked new as if they were recently made. I also noticed that few of the medals had Lenin’s and Stalin’s faces on them. This day was very important to him because he dedicated this holiday to his late friends. On September 28 2012, we celebrated his 100th birthday. My family and I were lucky to have him in our lives because he was a wonderful example for everyone. Although Ilya passed away on August 11-12, 2018 Midnight, he still lives on in my family's and my memories.
My Grandpa, Ilya Markovich (September 28, 1912-August 11-12, 2018 Midnight), saw Joseph Stalin, at the tribune, while he was marching in a military parade as a midshipman in the 1930s. He lost his brother, my great uncle Boris, who was arrested and executed by Stalin’s men. Ilya hated Hitler because he remembered Operation Barbarossa very well. My Grandpa has participated in WWII as a Russian Naval Officer. During his years in the Navy, he has received medals for honor and valor. He received the rank of Naval Officer before WWII, which put him in charge of the lives of others. He had to make decisions about how his orders should be obeyed. He led other sailors into battle. He was at the front lines as a naval officer in the Baltic Sea battle, at Kronstadt, and risked his life to defend his country and fight the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler. He also teamed with the Army Artillery to coordinate fire. His ship evacuated Army soldiers surrounded by enemies. His ship, Destroyer, was attacked by enemy aircraft, hit by a mine, and almost sank. However, he managed to survive that horrible disaster. In each sea battle, he lost many of his friends. He always put the well being ahead of his own. He brought food and water for his family during the blockade. It was around Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg). He was stationed on an island not far from there. He walked on the ice to the city to bring food to his family. Ilya risked his life so that others could live. If my grandpa didn’t walk over ice from the island naval base into the city, his family would have died. After WWII, he continued his service, as a Naval Commander, at the Far East at Kronstadt. Before he died, Ilya still remembered Stalin and Hitler today. He had retired and lived at a Nursing Home nearby my home. He took his health easily and is always careful. Every year on Europe’s Victory day, he had always bring his medals and photos of his friends from his days in the Navy because it meant a lot to him because when Ilya heard Stalin's victory speech on May 9 1945, he was relieved that the allies have won. When I saw the medals for the first time on Victory Day, they looked new as if they were recently made. I also noticed that few of the medals had Lenin’s and Stalin’s faces on them. This day was very important to him because he dedicated this holiday to his late friends. On September 28 2012, we celebrated his 100th birthday. My family and I were lucky to have him in our lives because he was a wonderful example for everyone. Although Ilya passed away on August 11-12, 2018 Midnight, he still lives on in my family's and my memories.
Hopefully@@coltyt9529, things will change where Ilya Markovich will finally be famous once World-Peace will at some point happen and there will be a coming-of-age biographical-documentary movie about Ilya's whole life where actors who each resemble Ilya through the years (childhood, teenage years, 20s-30s/World War II years, 40s-50s, 60s-100s, death, and funeral) and reanact everything he did in the biographical scenes and interviews from myself, my family (parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc), World Wars I and II historians, descendants of Ilya's friends, etc. within the documentary parts where we each get to mention our sides about him. So all we can do is hope for the best.
