Krasnodar, 23 February. Viktor Markelov, a native of a little Kuban village, was a career military officer and rose to the rank of colonel and post of an aviation regiment commander. For 33 years in military service, he took part in military operations in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Tajikistan and Abkhazia. He was distinguished with several orders and medals, including two Orders of Courage which are especially respected among officers.
Our today’s interviewee is retired Colonel Viktor Markelov, Honoured Pilot of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia, and Chair of the Krasnodar Regional Organisation of Heroes of Russia and the USSR.
Q.: Why did you decide to become an air force officer, and when did this thought come into your mind?
A.: There was a military airfield close to my native village of Kukharivka, Yeisk Rayon (district). I spent all my boyhood next to it. My father served as a conscript in military aviation, and my mother worked as a telephonist for civil aviation. Still though, I had not dreamt to become a pilot until the end of secondary school, when I and one of my friends decided to enter the Yeisk Air Force Academy.
Q.: What did you consider as the main ambition in your military career? Personal achievements or general merits?
A.: My former subordinates continue to hold high positions until now – and I am proud of that. I am thankful to those people who invested something in me, including to my teachers and instructors. Later, I also tried to be a similar teacher and instructor. I was teaching pilots who are holding high ranks; some of them do jobs as lieutenant-colonels or colonels as regiment commanders.
That was the most important thing for me, not my personal career. Yes, I did have orders and even got the title of the Hero of Russia, but I was not a place-hunter. Sometimes, I refused from promotions due to my faiths. With that being said, I consider that a person should be judged based on their working efficiency and professional qualities.
If somebody thinks that the bar is lower than you think it is, you must prove that they are wrong. That was how I taught my subordinates. I am proud that five of them were awarded the title of the Hero of Russia; six became generals; fifteen served as regiment commanders.
These are my pride and my achievements. For all my service record, thankful to my command subordinates who could be either pilots or technical personnel, we had not lost a single aircraft or a single staff member.
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