The Soviet Military Award Page Needs Your Stories!

[Henry Sakaida]

Dear Fellow Members,
I do NOY have a monopoly on stories for this site! I've had a few interesting experiences and I love writing, so that is why I have submitted what I have.
I won't be having another adventure until I go back to Ukraine...maybe next year. So it is up to you to submit stories! It's not a competition here to see whose story is bigger and better, it's simply sharing information and experiences that you have with the rest.
I know that alot of you are real experts in your own field of collecting. I've known some so called historians who will not share what they know...they hoard information like $$$. True historians share and do not hoard. They also teach others.
Just submit the story and Art will design the layout for it. He is a real magician when it comes to layout!!! Take a look at the first article on this site and go forward, and you can see what he has done!
If you have a medal belonging to a Soviet veteran, why not publish it here? He doesn't have to be a Hero. And lots of photos would be nice.
Thanks!

[Esteban_cool]

Henry,
I also love writing and I have written more than one story related to soviet culture (or at least inspired in it)so I´ll be very pleasured to help, but...The kind of stories you want/need to be just like yours (return awards or finding its owner, etc...) or it can be simply soviet award-related, like, for example, how someone got an award?
Please tell me how the stories must be to be accepted so I can put some of mine.

Esteban

[Henry Sakaida]

Originally Posted by Esteban_cool

Henry,
I also love writing and I have written more than one story related to soviet culture (or at least inspired in it)so I´ll be very pleasured to help, but...The kind of stories you want/need to be just like yours (return awards or finding its owner, etc...) or it can be simply soviet award-related, like, for example, how someone got an award?
Please tell me how the stories must be to be accepted so I can put some of mine.

Esteban

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You don't have to return anything to share your experiences! Simply write about some interesting experience you may have had while collecting, and make sure you have appropriate and nice photos to go along. As long as it is Soviet-related, I think it would be fine!
For instance, I wrote about Soviet woman sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko...and I don't have anything that belonged to her! If you went to Russia and visited some museums and took photos, that would make a great story!
I love that giant statue of Mother Russia at Stalingrad...I'm sure someone here on the board has visited this place. I'd sure like to know about their trip there, along with photos!
While doing research for my book on Heroes, I obtained 3 photos of Yakut sniper Fyodor Ohlopkov. I did not submit these photos to the publisher, so I am free to use them here. I don't have any of his medals. I'm trying to contact his next-of-kin to learn more about him, and if possible, photos of his medals!
I might also do a story on Soviet woman pilot Dina Nikulina...and how she and her granddaughter were murdered for her medals...it's a dark story, and I'd like to hear from members if they are interested in this story. If not, I will pass on it.
When you write a story and share it, someone out there benefits. Maybe someone here has interviewed a Soviet veteran...or visited some battlefield... get the idea? The article doesn't have to be scholarly or technical. It can be short or long. Just make sure you have photos...nothing more boring than reading all text and no photos.
Thank you!

[Esteban_cool]

Well Henry, thanks for the explanation. What I have is not precisely a collecting experience, but a sad(and not so long) story about how one of my mom´s university partners got an HSL. I tried to take photos of it, but when I met her she did not allow me to do it for those sad reasons.
BTW, could you be so kind to share with me the photos you got from Fyodor Ohlopkov, the Yakut Sniper? They will be very useful for the completion of the new storyline I´m writing.(I want to make a manga comic inspired in soviet elements)

Esteban

[Chuck In Oregon]

OK, Henry, I'll bite. I wrote an essay about Victory Day 2002 in Tbilisi. I have a bunch of good photos of that day as well. So, exactly how do I submit my essay and photos? This feels very scary, and I have done a LOT of writing in my life. We'll see.

Chuck In Oregon ... Until Jan. 11 ... Once more into the breach

[Henry Sakaida]

Originally Posted by Esteban_cool

Well Henry, thanks for the explanation. What I have is not precisely a collecting experience, but a sad(and not so long) story about how one of my mom´s university partners got an HSL. I tried to take photos of it, but when I met her she did not allow me to do it for those sad reasons.
BTW, could you be so kind to share with me the photos you got from Fyodor Ohlopkov, the Yakut Sniper? They will be very useful for the completion of the new storyline I´m writing.(I want to make a manga comic inspired in soviet elements)

Esteban

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OK, just PM me via Art. Thanks.

[Henry Sakaida]

Originally Posted by Chuck In Oregon

OK, Henry, I'll bite. I wrote an essay about Victory Day 2002 in Tbilisi. I have a bunch of good photos of that day as well. So, exactly how do I submit my essay and photos? This feels very scary, and I have done a LOT of writing in my life. We'll see.

Chuck In Oregon ... Until Jan. 11 ... Once more into the breach

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It's simple. Write the story and Art will design the layout. That's what I do. I'm computer illiterate and know nothing about it. In fact, I have to beg my wife to scan the photos and put it into an acceptable format (jpg I think) and email it to him. Then I simply let Art work his magic! If I submit 6 or 7 photos, he will select the best.
Don't worry...he will edit the story for misspellings. Simply tell it like it was.
Thanks. Try it once and you'll get hooked!

HENRY

[Art]

Submissions are always welcome. Henry pretty much explained it all but if anyone has any questions about anything, please either ask here, PM me, or email. Henry and I have a great system for getting one of his stories online, Henry will send me a text file and email some images, I'll do the rest. If possible, use Microsoft word to create your stories in a .doc format, and images in .jpg or .tif format. If you don't have Microsoft Word, that is fine. I can work with pretty much anything.

Art