Ex-Services News

EX-AIR FORCE WOMEN HOLD MEETING

The Sri Lanka Ex-Air Force Women's Association Executive Committee Meeting will be held at the SLESA Secretariat on February 1 at 9 am.

SRI LANKA ARMY MEDICAL CORPS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

The Sri Lanka Army medical Corps Executive Committee Meeting will be held at the SLESA Secretariat on February 2 at 9 am.

SRI LANKA ARMY ENGINEER SERVICES AGM

The Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Army Engineer Services' Association will be held on February 2 at 10 am the Sri Lanka Army Engineer Services Headquarters.

VETERANS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Association, Veterans' Home Advisory Committee met on January 26. It was decided to formulate a viable policy to facilitate the care of the Elderly Ex-Servicemen who seek to support of SLESA and to look-after them in the evening of their lives.

Memoirs of a War Veteran Crossing the Canal

They crossed three or four rows of trenches keeping both Kiselyov (Guns), their platoon leader and Gorbunov their Company Commander. They tried to keep up with the artillery barrage, which slowly rolled west ward.

Before day break, they managed to cover six or seven kilometers, sustaining only three casualties. Finally they reached a canal, which was hard to negotiate, so they waited for the engineers to arrive.

Then someone shouted "We have a bridge!". Gorbunov jumped up. His face was dirty. He waved his sub-machine gun.

They started to run again, but they did not feel the fatigue nor the wetness of their clothes. They even did not notice the night change into day.

"Forward, Forward!' someone said. Beyond the canal there was no mud though there were many shell craters on the ground, the field was green with silky winter wheat.

They ran across this field till the enemy met them with a wall of fire.

Then they fell to the ground and quickly began to dig in, and for the first time the sky was clear of clouds.

They saw the hills before them and they (hills) were not very high, but rather steep and some of them crowned by church spines. These were the Seelow Heights.

Only five or six meters away Kurbutov was digging a fox hole next to Abyzov's. Abyzov greeted him saying: "I hope they won't counter attack!'.

They were within the range of the Germans who neither spared shells nor bullets. They did not fire back as the Germans were well out of the range, of there sub-machineguns.

He sadly recalled the snipers school. They had made a marksman of him, but he could not use any of his skills now, nor before, which was the offensive in Poland.

Those who had completed the course were perhaps a bit more fortunate. The notice board on the reviewing ground, displayed the news of the distinguished performances of the combatants in action.

There were also reports of the combat awards of the graduates.

There was a tartar boy named, Rinat Ibraghimov, in Abyzov's Company. He was big made and awkward looking, and a great eater and sleeper who could even sleep during the five minute interval granted for smoking.

To be continued ...