Nikolai Kurilenko is the only frontline soldier in the city
of Temirtau who is still alive today. He has recently celebrated his 98th
birthday. Despite his advanced age, Nikolai Semyonovich is full of energy. He
joined the army in 1944 at the age of 17 and welcomed May 9 as an 18-year-old
anti-aircraft gunner in Poland, where he was wounded and partially lost his eyesight.
Nikolai Kurilenko was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, as
well as the medals For Courage and For Victory over Germany. He moved to
Temirtau after reading about the construction of the Kazakh Magnitka and worked
for the Kazmetallurgstroy trust. Together with his wife, he raised five
children. They now have 10 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and three
great-great-grandchildren.
«I wish for the younger generation to study diligently,
deepen their knowledge, and share their learning with their peers, so that
through their education they may achieve the aspirations their parents had for
them and what their schools prepared them for,» said war veteran Nikolai
Kurilenko.
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