«What impressed most? They gave holder, then you come to frontier, they gave a machine gun. And then there were commands: start shooting! What? Look, men, it’s a first time I’m holding gun in my arms!» — journalist of Informator.lg.ua Anton Holoborodko continues to tell about everyday life of a volunteer…  

Day 18. Minute of policy

It’s hard to wake up at 6 o’clock am after the weekend. I slept till 11 am on Sunday, crushed the regime. Today we must have a lessons on setting wire communication in the forest. Real coils of wires, real commutator, real telephone apparatuses. We were running in the forest and set the connection. It was very interesting.

Can you imagine that with help of two uncomplicated devices you can organize conferencing between 10 apparatuses.

But soldier worries for another things today. And it is not the war on the East and not the preparing for it. It is the situation in Kyiv. When it is calm in rearward, soldier lightly lives. But when you found out that conscript of National Guard was killed on a meeting in the centre of Kyiv, you got less of happiness. You want to ask: do people get crazy there? Our country is in circumstance of war with external aggressor. And we still shoot in each other?

Men feel a huge nervous that there could be mass riots. Then we will be sent not on Donbas, but devil only knows where. And there will be not only one front, but hundreds of them and it won’t be clear who fights with each other.

Friends, I have a big request for you, in spite of all your views, of your attitudes to one one or another politician, to one or another bill count, please, for many steps forward your actions. Our future depends on it. Putin only needs that we begin to cranch each other. Be smart, I’m begging you! Putin won’t win in open battle, but if cranch each other it is not a good end.

On this note I’m finishing my “Minute of policy.

Tomorrow our platoon will be on duty on polygon, I will be on duty too. That’s we won’t have exercises.

Day 19, 20 Single and burst

Yesterday I was orderly when our platoon was duty, some people were in patrol, some in the kitchen, some in cordoning off an on the shooting range. 4 people were orderly.

Day twenty. We went on shooting range first time. You know, I have taken machine gun in my arms first time for twenty days! We shot 51 cartridge. 2 exercises were 21 cartridge bursts from the «lying», 30 single rounds from the position «standing».

It was new experience for me, I have never shot from machine gun before this time. First shot wondered by its loudness, next after it looked so quiet. People scared that novices with frightened clamped trigger in automatic regime and shot out all magazine. Honestly, I really don’t know how it could be possible. I have shot with short burst of 1-3 cartridges, but I can’t boast the precision shooting.

The second exercise was single shooting. It was much better. 23 hits from 30. I think it’s normal for the first time. What impressed most? They gave holder, then you come to frontier, they gave a machine gun. And then there were commands: start shooting! What? Look, men, it’s a first time I’m holding gun in my arms! If you don’t ask, nobody prompt you, but explanations from military are clear enough.

Than I caught a sergeant and asked him some questions about how to hold, how to to carry, how to recharge and how to make double shots. He explained a little bit, gave me discharge gun, showed how correctly do all things, noticed my mistakes. He calmed me down that we will have tactical education later.

Frankly saying if my father wasn’t military personnel and didn’t tell how to use weapon, I’d had a panic. So, such situations happened with guys, who have never served. Officer permanently explained to somebody braked how to till the small step. But it could be avoided, it was possible to find out who didn’t serve and make a little instruction before. The result could be much better , imho.

Day 21. The paradise for an idiot

We learned “Motorola” radio station. Instructor said that there are a lot of them in AFU and there will be enough practice with them. So, it’s useful knowledge.

I understood today that if all science that is given to us here, could be absolutely assimilate, you could become really good messenger. But there is always one “but”. It’s very hard to gather all the pieces and snatches of the information to build one common scheme. And one more thing, a lot of people don’t have enough knowledges in theory.

The conclusion: if teaching methods can be upgraded, educational course can become twice longer, “deep” theoretics will be out and except of them people with war experience will be invited, also recruits for messengers will be collected more correctly, Signal Corps will be very productive.

However, there is enough of positive. Even without special intervention from the side of leadership of Armed Forces of Ukraine, all process are slowly improving. A lot of people filtered through the army and more smart, skillful, initiative stay to build normal structure of Army by their own initiative. Except this, a lot of funds were invested in the communication and equipment step by step become more quality and reliable. Well, at least, I see such situation from below.

One more conclusion for this day: army is the paradise for an idiot. Normal business-structure tries to avoid idiots. There is no the procedure of dismissing the incompetent soldier. So when protocol, on which you need to work, is created, everyone tries to write it as simply as possible to even notorious idiot could do everything. But such personage in its turn didn’t do even this.

Day 22. Back to “twenty”

Army… Army! Army, damn it!!!

My day began with nearly such emotions.

Together with our wakin up we have known that first two platoons from both companies (this means my platoon too) were going to educational unit in poltava after breakfast (it calls “twenty”). It’s a half of trouble that you must go there nearly 10 kilometers, it’s a half of trouble that we didn’t over our course of preparing on the polygon till the end, whatever about normal atmosphere on polygon (there is a lot of people with fighting skill), even such a fact that field kitchen is more better than in “twenty”. The most of all it touches that nobody can’t explain anything. It’s an order and that’s all.

No, we don’t need all explanations and super important secrets. In a couple of words: it happened because of changing of a plan of education, additional needs in specialists, which can be prepared only in “twenty”. Say, please something!

Here are a hundreds of adult men who behave themselves like flock of sheeps! And they don’t know where they were directed. Rumors began to spread. There is a big trouble in ATO, so we’ll be sent there tomorrow… Or, everyone was taken away in “twenty” and there is a need to dig something (read to do chores)… So, and what normal man says? Right, I don’t give a… Morale fell down to point “zero”. All of this moods were spreading on personnel.

And then we came to “twenty”. So, did they explained us something? No.

“You will be “Command and Staff Machine” (CSM — ed.)

“Well, we are very glad and so on? Could you train us on this role on polygon?’

And after that you begin to find some pluses in this situation. For example: there is ATM near checkpoint, here you can charge your telephone and here is permanent shower inside…

Biggest part formally lost their leave warrant. Only those ran out and loudly speaking bowing at the feet of young lieutenant, because he is your direct commander (it became very important how you appealed to him), could get back their leave warrants on weekend. But, maybe it’s my personal impressions.

It’s important that exercises will begin from Monday. And everyone has logic question: why did we need to be pulled out on Friday morning and to begin studying on Monday, spoiling our weekend?

Once again we had changes of commanders. We need to get used to a new place and to a new platoon and company commanders. We’ll see and compare all with polygon. I will have third platoon commander for 22 days. I don’t complain. I’m in army, having my training. Even this idiotism could be taken as training of moral character. But all of this perceived as I described above.

Also today there was an attempt to give to our platoon bank cards for salary. It was the second attempt. It failed. There weren’t delivered only to our unit, but whatever, there is nothing on the account. If anybody remembers red and black flag hung on our tent. All the way to “twenty” our platoon walked under this flag.

I think it’s a good sign. Army of Ukrainian state goes under red and black flag. It’s rightly. Passing by us, cars horned, drivers and passengers waved their hands (in fact very small part from all passing). That’s why I want to apply to everyone, if you see a soldier say “Hello!” “Slava Ukraine!” (Glory to Ukraine) will be enough. If you go by car and see the column, horn and raise your hand. Such things are incredibly uplifting. Even the most biggest skeptics among soldiers begin to understand what they are fighting for.

Tomorrow, we’ll have a free day after a half day of studying. I have wasted mine, so let platoon commander feel like important headmaster. But I will see my relatives. Good and peaceful night to everyone!

Anton Holoborodko for Informator.lg.ua