On The Iron Path Of Socialism: The Long, Long War Of A KGB Railways Officer

[Rick Research]

I suppose I should show covers just to be thorough. The covers on ALL medals' cards simply have the Soviet state seal of the time (see "buttons" thread for changes), name of the country, and name of the medal.

Here, for instance, are covers of a VICTORY OVER GERMANY MEDAL and LABOR VICTORY MEDAL to the same recipient

[Rick Research]

Did you notice the Cyrillic letter "Ye" on reverse of that one? Yup, there are other letters and mysteries...

Here are the insides. Comrade Pavel Kuz'mich Grinenko was, ulimately, a Lieutenant Colonel of Railways Security for State Security (MGB and later KGB) in Lvov through the end of the 1950s. This was no easy job of rousting hoboes or checking passengers without tickets: Ukrainian resistance fighters fought on well into the 1950s, committing acts of sabotage on the same level as occurred against the Germans during WW2.

Paired military and civilian "labor" Victories are by no means uncommon... though it makes one shudder to think what Grinenko's "contribution" of "valiant labor" in the Kremenchug region must have been.

[Rick Research]

Although typical coyness about Comrade Grinenko's actual rank at the time of issue of each of his medals continued until his retirement, here's a bit of "strange" I've noticed:

although MILITARY units went over all but completely to the German "Feldpost" style "security numbers" for unit stamps soon after WW2 (the change had begun during the war), State "Security" often continued blithely along "blabbing" what they were and where they were doing it!

Here is Grinenko's 1948 Armed Forces Jubilee Medal document, issued 11 November 1948 and signed by Lieutenant Colonel (illegible), Commander of Ukrainian State Security, Protection of Railways for Lvov Province. The Russian word for railways is "zhelezno-dorozhny," literally "iron path." If ever there was a Marxist metaphysical metaphor....

These were dark days for Soviet "vlast' " in the "Western Ukraine," with forlorn hope kamikaze partisans continuing acts of sabotage as if the war had never ended--only now against the Reds, not the Nazis.

Stalin once scoffed "How many divisions does the Pope have?" but this was not amusing in Lvov, where Uniate Catholics remained bitterly opposed to Stalinist rule, having already suffered a first Soviet occupation under the joint Berlin-Moscow partition of Poland 1939-41.

[Rick Research]

By 1958, the merciless war of attrition had succeeded in exterminating the last organized, armed guerillas-- though neither side may have realized it, just yet, as time "between" attacks lengthened into "no more" attacks.

No, all was not peace and love and universal comradeship inside the borders of the 'Union.

Nikita Khruschev had "made his bones"-- literally-- in Lvov during the first occupation, and even in the brief "springtime" that flowered in the rest of the Soviet Union under his iron hand, shoe-thumping Nikita Sergeivich harbored a special loathing for the region and its population.

Note that the Commander of Lvov Railways Protection of the Ukrainian KGB is now a Major General-- Rofenko-- and here Comrade G. himself is finally identified as a Lieutenant Colonel.

[Rick Research]

Pre-Chechnya

The years of strain: waiting for a muffled thud and the metallic blackboard shriek of railcars sliding off sparking tracks as steam locomotive boilers ruptured, of never knowing when a slammed back box-car door would result in a fusilade of gunfire or a lobbed grenade, of flashlights and whistles and finding yard guards underneath carriages with their throats silently slit ear to ear, of pacing echoing iron trestle bridges and dripping, unlit tunnels in the dark, ears straining for the crunch of unauthorized feet down the line, or the arm around the throat and stiletto in the kidney...


must have taken a toll, year after year after year... of "peace."

And Grinenko must have seen and done deeds better left omitted from the pages of the Glorious Book Of The Inevitable Triumph Of Socialism.

He received a Red Star and a Red Banner in Lvov. For long service, probably. In recognition of premature white hairs, no doubt.

But at last the long, terrible years were over, and KGB Lieutenant Colonel Grinenko retired to Kharkov, where he was living in 1978.

Here is his Veteran of the Armed Forces Medal document, as "Lieutenant Colonel, Retired," issued by the Deputy Commander of the Kharkov Province Ukrainian KGB, 3 May 1977, per order of 31 January 1977. Since these medals began being issued in 1974, it is possible that Grinenko had only JUST retired. His 1975 Victory Jubilee Medal document refers to him as "Lieutenant Colonel" without either "of the Reserve" or "Retired" but that could just have been sloppiness.

Kids in the KGB those days, they had NO idea what it was like... Back Then.

Remember the unhappy story of Comrade Pavel Kuz'mich when you see...


just another "meaningless" jubilee or long service award.

[John F.]

Rick: Great thread and commentary ! I can’t count the number of times that I have passed by these types of awards (common) without even a glance... makes you think.

John

[Bill D.]

I have read this thread multiple times since it was posted.

I have two thoughts:

First....The ability to discern the signifigance of what seem to be "ordinary items" marks the difference between the true collector and the mere accumulator. With items such as this, the gift of sight into the past that the pieces represent distinguishes the enthusiast from "the historian". Certainly there is nothing at all wrong with taking joy in accumulating, and engaging in the hunt for objects for one's collection with enthusiasm. But the ability to not only aquire the objects but to see and relate their importance adds so many more dimmensions to a collection. The talent to communicate the signifigance, in the manner done in this post, in my opinion raises the collector to yet an even higher level, where he or she deserves what should be the honored title of "Teacher".

Second...I thought that if the person who wrote these posts wrote non-fiction history books, I would buy them...and buy them...and buy them. And they would be in that rare category of works that I will find myself reading and thinking "I am going to hate finishing this book, because then this pleasure will be over".

Just superb.

[Rick Research]

I read Reader's Digest "Drama In Real Life" articles at a developmentally significant part of my childhood!

Because, of course, real life IS more dramatic than Hollywood contrivances or fiction.

And I am first, foremost, and always a Mere Mortal collector of "ORDINARY" items.

Price does NOT = "value," if you look for the human story.

[Bill D.]

Price does NOT = "value," if you look for the human story.

Amen to that!

[AlexW]

"The Russian word for railways is "zhelezno-dorozhny," literally "iron path." If ever there was a Marxist metaphysical metaphor.... "

Not really, it's a literal translation of the French 'Chemin de fer'.

Alex