This year he celebrated his 68th birthday and is currently retired.
As the veteran himself recounts, after obtaining a driver's education and finishing school, he was drafted into the army.
“I was born in 1958. After school, I got a driver's profession and worked for about six months at the state farm 'Santashe.' In 1978, I was called up to serve in the Soviet army. The first six months I spent in the Far East, in the Chita region. In 1979, when the war in Afghanistan began, we, unaware of what was to come, were sent to the front. We found out about it already on the train as we crossed the Kazakh steppes. We were strictly warned: do not write letters and do not inform family and friends about this,” Temirkul shares his memories.
The soldiers prepared for the conflict right on the train. First, we spent a week in additional training in Kushka, Turkmenistan, and then traveled by vehicles that were part of the columns to Shindand — between Herat and Kabul. The war had started only six months ago. Our group carried out tasks from February to November 1980. In the initial stage of the conflict, we were either in Kushka, on the road, or already on Afghan soil. The main tasks involved escorting and transporting construction materials, as well as building barracks for soldiers. In the war, I served as a driver.
Unfortunately, there were casualties among us — their bodies were sent back home. As a result, after nine months, our service ended, and by the will of fate, I returned home. My family and loved ones only learned that I participated in the war in Afghanistan a year and a half later,” he continues.
Upon returning to his homeland, Temirkul started a family and worked in the Tyup district electric networks.
Every year he commemorates February 15 as a day of memory and respect for all participants in the war.
“After serving in the army, I got a job in the electric networks, where I serviced areas up to Karkyra, Chaar-Kuduk, Tasma, and Toktoyan. I started a family. Together with my wife, we raised four sons and two daughters. Now we are enjoying our well-deserved retirement and are happy with our 12 grandchildren. Currently, we are engaged in agriculture,” Temirkul emphasizes.
- On February 15, Kyrgyzstan marked the 37th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
