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Thursday, 27 June 2013

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SLESA ex-co. meeting

Executive Committee Meeting of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Association will be held tomorrow at 3 pm at the Danturay Hall, Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen's Institute, 56, Bristol Street, Colombo 1.


Sri Lanka Army Pensioners' Welfare Assn - 25th anniversary

Sri Lanka Army Pensioners Welfare Association Homagama will hold it's 25th Annual General Meeting at their headquarters, Kandalanda, Homagama on June 30 at 10 am. All members have been informed. Contact Hony. Secretary Lucas Fernando on 011 4917743.


Memoirs of a War Veteran In Treptow Park

"You are not at all like conquerors," said the old man (German). This made Abyzov and his friends laugh. The old man continued to wrinkle his already wrinkled forehead and repeated. "I don't understand anything!" "You will with time!" they replied.

Berlin as the capital of the German Democratic Republic, the first workers' and peasants' state on German soil had changed beyond recognition.

As they walked through Alescanderplatz they heard the voices of children ring out and saw the friendly smiles of the Berliners. It could be seen that the mood of the people and the atmosphere in the streets and square were dominated by a spirit of goodwill. At Alescanderplatz they boarded the urban Schanellbahn the high speed railway. The centre of east Berlin was now far behind them and the railway terminal at which the Moscow express drew-up flashed past. They saw a lot of factory buildings and then they changed trains. The new train rumbled over a bridge across the spree and sharply decelerated.

When they left the platform they entered a street, turned under a viaduct and found themselves on a straight broad through-fare lined with trees. This was Pushkin lane. Age old trees formed a tunnel with their boughs and beyond the dense foliage to the right was an archway, on which was inscribed "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battles fighting for freedom and independence of the socialist homeland" and the year: 1945.

They were in Treptow Park. Abyzov did not know whether his mates were buried there, but he saw in his mind's eye their faces darkened with the smoke of fires, faces worn as a result of many sleepless nights. He saw their smiling eyes, their hands clasping their weapons, hands that slapped Abyzov rather roughly on the back.

He stood there among the marble slabs, looking at the statue of the Soldier, with a little girl sitting on his arm, hugging him. In the front, there were five common graves. It was May and the shrubs and grass were a juicy green, and pale, fluffy clouds floated across the blue sky.

There were 55 steps to the pedestal. Fifty five names. Kolmogorov, Kurbatov, Balberg, Yura Razuvayer, Commander of the 3rd Platoon, Ionov and Nyrkov. If it had not been for their and for the thousands and millions of ordinary unpretentious people who were their brothers that solemn day in May, when they hugged one another with tears in their eyes, could never have been. It was the survivors who embraced each other then.

"Please take your flowers," the interpreters said. They approached the pedestal of the monument and laid the carnations next to the other flowers. There were very many of them, and all the slopes around the soldier were covered with wreaths bouquets and loose flowers. They stood in silence for a while and then turned to the statue of motherland.

To be continued ....

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