Kostya Kravchuk

Retreating from Kiev, two wounded soldiers entrusted Kostya with the banners. And Kostya promised to keep them.

At first he buried them in the garden under a pear tree: he thought that our soldiers would return soon. But the war dragged on, and having dug up the banners, Kostya kept them in the shed until he remembered about an old, abandoned well outside the city, near the Dnieper. Wrapping his priceless treasure in sacking and covering it with straw, he left the house at dawn and with a canvas bag over his shoulder led the cow to the distant forest. And there, having looked around, he hid the package in a well, covered it with branches, dry grass, sod….

And the whole long occupation the pioneer carried his hard guard at the banner, though he was caught in a raid, and even escaped from the train in which Kiev citizens were taken to Germany. When Kiev was liberated, Kostya, in a white shirt with a red tie, came to the military commandant of the city and unfurled the banner in front of the soldiers who had seen the sights and yet were amazed.

On June 11, 1944 the newly formed units, leaving for the front, were handed the replacements saved by Kostya.

In September 1944 K. Kravchuk was sent to study at the Kharkov Suvorov Military School. In 1947 the school was transferred to Kiev. He worked as an assembler-mechanic at the Kiev factory “Arsenal”. For many years of valiant work was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, was awarded the title of “Striker of Communist Labor”.

In 1974 one of the rescued banners K. Kravchuk brought to the meeting hall at the opening of the XXII Congress of Lenin Komsomol of Ukraine. In 1975 with both banners was a guest of Artek at the celebrations dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the pioneer camp.