| Summary/Abstract |
BEFORE the war, Abai sewed Astrakhan hats for colonels and generals, which exempted him from the draft. It stayed that way until early 1943, when keeping able-bodied men from combat service became inadvisable. Abai was assigned to transport ammunition by horse and cart. He worked conscientiously, and by the time Soviet forces entered Germany, he had been awarded three medals: two for Meritorious Service in Combat, and one for the Liberation of Warsaw, where he had never actually set foot. This was standard practice for those toilers who served honorably but were not directly involved in combat.
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