Andrey Stepanovich VASILENKO

In 1940, he graduated from the Stalin Art School and got an opportunity to take preparatory courses in Leningrad for further admission to the Art Academy. He had just submitted the application when the Order of the People's Commissar for Defense went forth declaring that everyone who has a secondary education should be drafted into the army.

So, the young Andrey Vasilenko got into the Kyiv Artillery School. He studied there for a while and was redistributed to an artillery unit in Kamianets-Podilskyi.

With his artillery regiment, Andrei Vasilenko fought almost all over Ukraine. Andrey Vasilenko himself was seriously wounded in those battles. When he was in the hospital, he drew his colleagues, and his comrades sent the drawings to their relatives. Many families keep these hand-drawn memos made by Andrey Stepanovich.

After the first hospitalization, he was admitted to the 128th Guards Red Banner Turkestan mountain division, participated in the liberation of Kerch, Feodosia, Alushta, Yalta, and Sevastopol. In a battle on the territory of Crimea, he got his second wound – a shrapnel wound. After treatment, he took part in the liberation of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Awards:
medal "For Courage", two commendations from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, received for combat heroism during the liberation of the Czech Republic