Christmas Walk and Missilemen 39

So nice sunset:

Fisherman’s wharf is empty:

Snow covered everything around:

It was nice walk in our village. And I continue the story, Missilemen 39

There were twenty people in the department: chief in captain rank, two lieutenants in senior operator positions, warrant officer, four sergeants and twelve privates. Sergeants and solders were conscripted from different Soviet Republics. We had representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan (one per republic), two persons from West Ukraine, three ones from Eastern Ukraine, others from different cities of Russian Federation. Yes, from cities, not from the country sides, because schools in cities are better and complicated machinery of strategic missile regiments required good educated graduates from urban high schools.

In the afternoon I came into control system classroom accompanying by two soldiers from my department. I had an intention to make some order in what I’d seen in the morning.

We started to clean equipment, vacuum dust, check cables and contacts. In thirty minutes everything was ready for the first test. I put on the external power knife-switch, take on motor-generators. All lights on the stand and on the wall-schemes show that everything is OK. I put start-key into the hole and push it inside. This connects missile board equipment to ground power supply line. And again I see that everything works in accordance with the scheme. Only several lamps have to me replaced. I continue operations for launch preparation. Switching K1 key gives air and electrical power for gyroscopes and their motors. Again, all is perfect. Step by step I am at the end of operations and finish with pyromembranes tearing. Take the key out of the hole and look attentively at the stand’s lights. Yes, simulator shows missile readiness for launch. Everything works correct way! Amazing! What a reliable equipment we have. Several years all these stuff was abandoned, not worked, and not serviced. But golden contacts do not oxidized. Hurray! We have simulator working!

May Day holidays happened suddenly. There was an invitation for all of us, newcomers, to take part in so called “light” party arranged in the regiment club. Four of us, Slava Potudin, Gena, Kuzya and myself paid ten rubles each and ordered a table in club’s restaurant. The decision was made to wear parade uniform. Couple of hours was spent for putting stars and attaching shoulder-strips, ironing white shirts. Azure military jackets were decorated by KuAI academic badges and Guards signs. We chose combatant variant of parade uniform, what means riding-breeches, shiny black high boots and shoulder-belts. White shirts, black ties, blue service caps, golden shoulder strips and belts, azure jackets and breeches, shiny boxcalf high boots, what a show it was!

Tables in the club were served when we arrived. There was standard set of drinks and dishes: one boatel of Soviet Champagne, one bottle of Stolichnaya Vodka, one bottle of Crimea Port, meat salad, vegetable salad, cold cuts, lemonade and mineral water. Main course, beefsteak and mush potato were brought later.

We were the only lieutenants in the hall. Most of the publics were majors, captains and their wives and girlfriends. Average age was around thirty. People didn’t waste their time, general spirit was high enough. In thirty minutes military musicians took the stage and popular Soviet songs hit our ears.

Chief Engineer of our regiment, Major Dubinin, was in very good mood. He took off his jacket and climbed the stage. The piece of white shirt protruded off from his fly of trousers. Nobody could stop him and even didn’t try to do this. I felt myself not very comfortable. It was shameful a little bit for this Major and his white shirt looking through the fly. Major took the mike from the singer in Sergeant Rank:

“Let us Thrushes!” – Major ordered and started – “Have you heard like thrushes sing…”

Major had good ear. He sang loud and very confidently. Musicians tuned to him without problem.

“These thrushes, magicians thrushes, lovely forest singers…” continued Major.

Dance started. Not only I felt myself uncomfortable. Kuzya proposed to finish with the food and change the place for something better with normal music. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Wings, Webber with his Jesus Christ Superstar – this was a kind of music we were listening in that time. Records of Vysotcky, Okudghava were in our tape-recorders too. And we liked to listen Vertinsky sometime.

Finishing vodka and salads we exited club. May evening smelled sweet. Town sank in lilac bushes, which started to blossom. We changed the uniform for civil clothes in our hostel and went to the lake, taking tape-recorder with us. But the evening was nice enough with its silence and we didn’t switch on our portable sound-box. Good walk and interesting conversation on different subjects ventilated our brains from alcohol evaporations fast.

Snow on Lulu and Missilemen 38

It so unusual to have snow and frost on Lulu.
Bamboo bushes:

Monkey-puzzle looks like a Christmas tree:

Seagulls and ducks are puzzled, what is happening:

Some bushes are ready for Christmas:

And skier uses a rare chance:

Enjoying all these events I continue my story, Missilemen 38

We drunk practically every day. At dinner in military town buffet or in Lebedin Restaurant two bottles of beer were a usual doze of alcohol. Very often 100 grams of vodka (standard drink) were part of our dinner ration. And this didn’t attract somebody’s attention as dangerous behavior because everybody behave this way. This was a universal norm established in the society. We didn’t know yet what alcohol addiction is and in the morning we went to our places of service had no desire to take a drink “the morning-after” even after hard drinking the day before.

Good, so called “flight norm”, breakfast awaited us in the officer canteen on the positions. The meal was really good: meat, fish, cheese, butter, vegetables and fruits were well balanced in our breakfasts, lunches and dinner during our battle duties. And refuelers had even afternoon snacks to support their resistance against dangerous environment they were working in.

The working day started with formation on the central plaza in living area. It was not time consuming procedure. Necessary announcement were usually done and sub-units marched to the places of their training in accordance with the schedule.

The battalion territory consisted of battle zone with launch pads and warhead depot, and living zone, where headquarters, officer’s hostel, barracks, two canteens, club, library, gym, electrical power station, garage and auxiliary farm were situated. Old long hut with classes for electrical and engine specialists training was situated here too. There were new training facilities in the battle zone with classes for all specialties, but commander of my department, Captain Leonov, chose this hut as a quite place far from boss’s eyes. At least he explained me it this way later when we made more close acquaintance.

“OK, if you are willing to be a “302”, please, take care on this stand” – he tells me and shows to the spacious hall in the end of the hut, with wall covered by schemes of missile control system and ground equipment.

“Yes, Sir! Yes, to take care on this stand!” – I replied with not peculiar for me enthusiasm. In general, military style in communication was not common for two year service officers. Captain looked at me as I was an idiot and moved to the neighbor cubical where the group of solders studied gyroscopes. Starting from this moment I converse with him by normal civil language, far from military format.

The stand simulated all operations of the missile preparation for launch. Real equipment taken from missile was installed on special platform. The platform as a missile itself had contacts and connections to the ground equipment. Outside the hut, in small booth, motor-generator was placed. Electrical current on the missile board was 400 hertz. Control panels, consoles were placed near platform. All equipment, cables and contacts were covered with half centimeter of dense dust. It was obvious that during several years the stand wasn’t used in practice.

I begun to make it clear, what is connected to what and how power and signals are transferring. I understood that the stand was created by amateurs, who were big enthusiasts of rocket arms. The main idea was to give possibility to make all operations for missile launch preparation and see electrical scheme functioning “alive” on the hut’s walls. The guys really were not professionals and put some peaces of equipment simply on the wooden floor, or on the school desks. Wiring was not arranged in casings and all contacts were insulated by blue plastic glue bands.

“Well…” – I thought – “It will take me two years exactly”

During lunch time, coming out from the canteen, Kuzya and I stopped near flower bed looking at tulips in blossom.

“Enjoying the life? Of course you are newcomers”.

We turned back and see Captain Kulick, the head of administration office, who addressed to us. He was small, dark-haired, round, with strong Ukrainian accent, very resembling one of Odessa humorists.

“You are not married yet?” – He continues – “And do not marry”.

“Why?” – Kuzya and I ask him simultaneously.

Enjoy the life while you are young” – Kulik, who was in his late thirties, replies – “ I would never married, if there was no war. Yes, …, many in Lebedin would not marry, if not this fucking Caribbean crisis”.

We understand nothing and look at him with curiosity. He likes the effect of his speech.

“Have you ever heard something about Anadyr operation?” – He starts his story – “Yes, it was. All of us, lieutenants, were young and clever, like you now, scheme of missile control knew by heart, walked in Lebedin by nights. Girls were very good in that time, real Ukrainians girls. They were friendly to us. And, one day, commander announced that we have to go, to fight Americans. Only three days were given to prepare the equipment for transportation. What to do? We have only one life. And all of us decided to use a chance and marry while we are alive. It was the last chance to have your own wedding party. What a festive these three days were! Only in Odessa during embarkation we came to oneself. Sailing, American fighters are diving on the ship, American submarines and battle ships are around. But we are on the deck, all in civil hats, smoking, tune ourselves for the war. There is Cuba! And suddenly Captain got an order to return home. Sailing back. Odessa again, echelon. Two days by train and we see Lebedin’s platform and our wives waiving by their handkerchiefs. This is like our matrimonial life started. And we still live with this. No. Do not marry”.

“OK, we will not” – Kuzya promises – “But people say that our complexes were installed in Cuba?”

“Yes, 8K63s were sent earlier and installed there. Our neighbors from Akhtyrka several months stayed in Cuba. Nice time. Colonel Stroy was their commander. He sweared often: What for you arrived here! To fuck Cuban girls or make cubical revolution?!”

Last berries of this year and Missilemen 37

I like this place on Lulu Island:

It’s real Japanese park, with stones and bridges:

Last berries of this season are going to be ripe:

They are tasty:

And I continue my story from other life. Missilemen 37

7. Workday routine and holidays

We went through adaptation to town and regiment fast, found new friends and got neighbors. First of all we became close to the dwellers of officer hostel.

Approximately seventy percents of hostel were two-year military servants, the officers that were conscripted for the compulsory service after graduation from civil universities but obtained not only civil education and degree but military education and rank too. Most of Soviet universities had military chairs and students got military training during the years of their study with final graduation exams on military disciplines, training in military camp and oath taking.

Our new friends were guys from Khahrkov: Vitaly Zaborny (my first Lebedin instructor), Tolya Ostapenko, Volodya Nikolenko; from Moscow: Volodya Shorokhov; from Sevastopol: Slava Potudin, Volodya Glebov. It’s difficult to remember all of them now.

The circle of our new acquaintances was expanding permanently. Once I washed my green military socks in the water-stand in hostel’s washing room. I had a big piece of household soap brought from Poltava and rubbed cotton stuff with it.

“Are you poor?” – I hear unknown for me voice behind.

I turn my head and see that the question belongs to the lad in sport-suite that exited from the toilet booth pulling up his pants.

“Why?” – I wonder.

“You can’t afford yourself to buy new one?” – he continues.

“What new?” – I do not understand.

“Socks! Just socks! Why do you wash them? You can buy new one!”

Finally I understand what he is speaking about.

“Yes, I can. This is force of habit. And they are new; it’s pitifully to through them away”.

He stretched out hand:

“My name is Sergey. I am the head of geodesic service. And you are newcomer?”

“Yes, I am two-year servants” – I explain, understanding that he is regular battle officer.

In general we, two-year servants with civil engineering degrees, were not different from graduates of military schools. We had same officer authorities and responsibilities. But regular 25-year servants even had some envy related to our short term staying in army environment without any career rush and freedom and independence as a result of this. Therefore my “two-year servant” sounded as some kind of privilege I have above him, who has to wear shoulder-belt during 25 years.

“Where are you from?” – next question is in the air.

“From Kuibyshev, I am Samarian”.

“And I am from St. Petersburg” – he replies with dignity.

Conversation started. I learned lots of new information about coordinate system and links of our launch pad to state geodetic net. Sergey even told a little about positioning with the help of stars and sun. After this we jumped to navigations and sailing issues. I make propose to continue are discussion in the buffet.