The Head of Vitebsk Region, Alexander Subbotin, congratulated Vasily Melyantsov, a labor veteran and participant of the Great Patriotic War, on his 100th birthday.
They say that living a life is not like crossing a field. On the field of Vasily Melyantsov's life, there were both great joys and great sorrows. His fate included the wartime hardship, the country's recovery after devastation, state reforms, and various events in his personal biography. He had to experience hunger and cold, and survive the loss of loved ones.
Vasily Melyantsov was born in the village of Pudot, Vitebsk district. His parents, hereditary peasants, taught their children to work from an early age. These life lessons helped them survive when first his mother died, and soon after, his father tragically perished. Five children were left orphans. To this day, Vasily Timofeyevich remembers the taste of bread from his childhood, which seemed like the most precious gift on his twelfth birthday.
When the young man turned seventeen, he was sent to accounting courses in Minsk. After finishing his studies, he got a job at a consumer cooperative in the then Surazh district. But less than a year later, the young specialist's career was interrupted by the war. In July 1941, Vasily Melyantsov was drafted into the army. He served in the Transcaucasian Military District, near Tbilisi, as a signalman. For all five years, he did not receive a single letter from his hometown.
Vasily Timofeyevich proudly shows his awards – the medals "For the Defense of the Caucasus," "For the Victory over Germany," and others – as his most cherished relics. The war left a deep mark on his memory, and although more than 75 years have passed, some episodes and the faces of his front-line friends sometimes flash before his eyes.
Returning home after Victory, Vasily Melyantsov decided to continue his working life in consumer cooperation. He worked as chief accountant at the Pudot consumer cooperative, improved his knowledge at the industry technical school. Then he headed the Yanovichskoye consumer cooperative.
The professional knowledge and experience of Vasily Melyantsov were noticed by the district leadership, and he was offered the position of chief accountant at the Dimitrov Collective Farm, which was famous throughout the Vitebsk region. Vasily Timofeyevich worked at this farm for thirty years. The former front-line soldier was elected secretary of the primary party organization and chairman of the People's Control Committee. Labor merits were added to his military awards.
Whatever difficulties he encountered, Vasily Timofeyevich believes that his life has been a success. He built a house, planted more than one tree, and raised two sons – Viktor and Nikolai, who, along with their wives, take care of their father. He is delighted by his four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He lived with his beloved wife for over 60 years, who, unfortunately, passed away. Last year, after a serious injury, his relatives insisted that he move in with his eldest son, Viktor, to a city apartment in Vitebsk, where the centenarian met his guests. He was in full dress – wearing a jacket adorned with awards.
Alexander Subbotin, congratulating the jubilarian, noted that such people, who have lived through different periods of our country's life and set an example of love for life, should be cherished.
– It is symbolic that Vasily Timofeyevich's centenary falls on the Year of Historical Memory. Over the century, many significant events have occurred in the life of our country, in which the current jubilarian was somehow involved. This includes the war, the post-devastation recovery, and the formation of our independent state, – noted the head of the region.
Alexander Mikhailovich wished the centenarian good health, presented him with an Honorary Diploma of the Regional Executive Committee, and a food basket as a gift.
The veteran was also congratulated by Gennady Sabinich, Chairman of the Vitebsk District Executive Committee, who emphasized that Vasily Melyantsov made his contribution to the development of the district where he was born, worked, and lived almost his entire life, and the district still considers and will continue to consider him one of its own.
Gennady Gennadievich presented the jubilee recipient with a new passport, marking the beginning of a new stage in Vasily Timofeevich's life – after one hundred years.