The Head of Vitebsk Region congratulated Great Patriotic War veteran Mikhail Baboyed on his centenary

Mikhail Boboed received congratulations all day today. A 100th anniversary is a serious date. The veteran from the settlement of Boboedovo, Beshenkovichi District, has lived a long life with the conviction that being a worthy citizen of his country means honestly serving the Motherland. The front-line soldier was congratulated by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin. Representatives of the local authorities, enterprises, and organizations of the district addressed warm words to him.

The celebration began with a May waltz: the veteran's favorite melody.

"Such a start to the year, which has been declared the Year of Historical Memory, is symbolic," said Alexander Subbotin. "It is important not only to be with veterans in such moments but also to show that we have them. 100 years is a milestone that shows the significant path traveled by a person, his family, and the state."

Mikhail Ignatievich joined the front as a private infantryman in the 235th Rifle Division of the 43rd Army in the summer of 1944, after the liberation of Belarus. He showed courage during the crossing of the Lielupe River and distinguished himself in the capture of the cities of Tilsit and Ragnit. He received two wounds: the first in the battles for Danzig, the second during the capture of Königsberg, where two-thirds of the military personnel perished.

"I can still hear the whistle of a huge flying shell in my ears, which destroyed the corner of the building. I was hiding behind it. A huge chunk of debris threw me back almost a meter and a half. The left side of my head was almost entirely covered in blood. I woke up in the hospital," recalled Mikhail Boboed.

Victory came for him and his comrades on May 16, 1945, after they successfully eliminated a group of Germans who had broken out of Berlin. Then, for about another year, Mikhail Ignatievich served as the senior clerk of the military-technical supply department of his division's headquarters. He was discharged to the reserve with the military rank of "sergeant."

Mikhail Boboed was awarded the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Patriotic War, First Class, and the medals "For Military Merit" and "For the Capture of Königsberg."

In peacetime, he distinguished himself in various fields. He worked as a mathematics teacher for 40 years at a school in the village of Chelnyishki, Beshenkovichi District, where he later served as director, and worked as the deputy head of the inter-school educational and production complex of the district center. He has 13 years of service as a forester at the Beshenkovichi Forestry Enterprise, and for 20 years he headed the veteran organization of this industry. For his labor, he was awarded Certificates of Honor from the Ministry of Forestry of the BSSR, the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, and the Regional Executive Committee, an Honorary Pennant from the Ministry of Forestry of the BSSR, and the medal "Veteran of Labor."

The guest of honor was also congratulated by his relatives, to whom he gladly recounted his combat past.

"Vitebskiye Vesti"