Alexander Kogan: "There are no heights in life that a person cannot reach. The main thing is a peaceful sky above your head"
Alexander Kogan is known not only in our region, where in 2008 he was awarded the honorary title "Person of the Year of Vitebsk Region". He is an honorary doctor of the Moscow Textile Institute, a doctor of technical sciences, and a professor. At his initiative and with his active participation, many joint Russian-Belarusian textile projects have been implemented. And the State Prize of the Russian Federation was awarded for the development of special combined fire-resistant threads, from which modern fabric for the special clothing of the Ministry of Emergency Situations workers was created.
But despite 80 peaceful years, when recalling the war he experienced, the eyes of the 95-year-old veteran reflect unceasing pain.
– I was 12 when the war began, – says Alexander Grigoryevich. – My father and older brother Matvey fought at the front. Father fought his way to Warsaw, brother – to Berlin. And my mother and I worked in a hospital. First in our hometown, in the city of Priluki, Chernihiv region, then – in the city of Volsk, Saratov region. In 1943, on the third day after the liberation of Kursk, the hospital was evacuated to the building of the Kursk Medical Institute. I delivered correspondence, read letters to soldiers, and carried blood for transfusions to the wounded.
Tears welled up in the interlocutor's eyes:
– I had to witness very terrible scenes of human suffering. After all, the Battle of Kursk is the most horrific battle in terms of its power, its scale, the forces and means involved – one of the key battles in the history of World War II. About 2 million people, 6 thousand tanks, and 4 thousand aircraft participated in it. And all the wounded from that "meat grinder" were brought to our hospital. People without arms and legs, with severe head injuries, often – a bloody mess instead of bodies. These were difficult scenes for a child's psyche. And yet, I felt needed, I cried with the soldiers when I read them letters from their families. Sometimes these were tears of joy, often – of grief…
There are no heights in life that a person cannot reach. Study, work honestly, take an active stance, love the Motherland – and everything will work out. The main thing is peaceful skies overhead.
And after the war, upon returning to his homeland, Alexander Kogan, being the sole breadwinner, went to work in the foundry shop of a machine-tool plant. And he immediately enrolled in evening school.
– I didn't just want to study, I had a huge thirst for knowledge! Heavy work during the day, a vigil over textbooks at night. By some inspiration, I entered the Moscow Textile Institute. And there I met my destiny – my future wife, Efrosinya Mikhailovna, Frosya. We lived soul to soul for 69 years. And you know what? We never argued. And the secret is simple: I always tried to yield to her. And she gratefully agreed with my reasoning.
Alexander Kogan's stories about his wife are full of warmth and gentle sadness: "She was more than a friend to me… A very intelligent woman, an associate professor, a wonderful hostess – probably cooked better than anyone in Vitebsk, you know?"
But the thread of life did not break. The veteran is cared for by his children and grandchildren. He is in touch with old comrades, and the city and regional authorities do not leave him without attention. Once the roads of fate brought the Kogan couple to Vitebsk, both spouses were at the origins of the technological university, did a lot for the city, and fell in love with it with all their hearts.
On the eve of Victory Day, the honored person was visited by the head of the administration of the Oktyabrsky district of Vitebsk, Vladimir Belevich, and the director of the Territorial Center for Social Services of the Population of the Oktyabrsky district, Tatyana Romashova. They presented gifts.
– There are no heights in life that a person cannot reach, – says Alexander Kogan. – Study, work honestly, take an active position, love your Motherland – and everything will work out. The main thing is a peaceful sky overhead.