A meeting with Kazbek Beysebayev, the author of the book “Names of the Brave Live Forever in People's Memory. We Remember and We Are Proud” dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, took place in S. Beysembayev Scientific Library of S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University.

This book is a tribute to the soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War. It is a really one-of-a-kind book because it contains unique materials related to the participation of Kazakhstani people in the Great Patriotic War. Kazbek Beysebayev told about the work on this book. Being a son of a veteran, he felt it was his duty to collect photographs and information about soldiers who never returned from the front-line. As the author of this project, Kazbek Beysebayev is grateful to everyone who participated in collection of materials for this book and donated funds for its publication.

As a result of a thorough study of materials of those years, the author has collected evidence confirming the courage shown by Kazakh soldiers. “The Germans avoided people of the Mongoloid race like the plague, so killing an Asian was like a feat, like something they could be proud of,” says the author. Documentary sources confirm that Kazakh soldiers from the 238th Infantry Division showed exceptional heroism in the battle for Moscow. Another historic event took place on April 30, 1945. This is when Rakhimzhan Koshkarbaev raised the red flag over the Reichstag which symbolized the victory of the Soviet troops. It was a Kazakh who did this. “The main purpose of the book is to show young people that Kazakhs fought bravely and the spirit of great warriors is still in our blood. We can be proud that our grandfathers defeated fascism, the most horrible evil in the world,” said Kazbek Beysebayev.

Saida Isamadiyeva, Director of S. Beysembayev Scientific Library, thanked Kazbek Beysebayev for his great work and emphasized that the book would be popular among people of different generations. “I want to say 'thank you' to Kazbek and his team. They did so much work not expecting any reward. The unique materials collected by the author will definitely resonate with the feelings of our readers,” she said.

Madeniyet Suleymenov, a member of the Media Center of S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University, believes that although there were so many heroes, we remember only the names written in history books. “I think that this book can fix this historic injustice. Even if we don't know the names of many soldiers, their faces will be remembered by many generations to come,” he said.

The meeting made a great impression on both lecturers and students. Participants of the meeting warmly thanked the author. They said that our country needed a book like that, as the war concerned every family in Kazakhstan. “It's impossible to stay emotionally indifferent looking at these photos. Many of the soldiers that we see here were younger than we are now, and all of them had their dreams and hopes. But they sacrificed their lives, so that we could enjoy peaceful lives,” says Beksultan Kabyshev, an undergraduate student.

In recent years, there have been many attempts to rewrite the history of the Great Patriotic War. Even though a lot of things have changed since that time, the significance of the unfadable act of courage committed by soldiers stays beyond any doubt. All Soviet warriors defended their homeland, and Kazakhs made their contribution to the victory.

The documentary book “Names of the Brave Live Forever in People's Memory. We Remember and We Are Proud” will become the Book of Memory for grateful descendants who remember the deeds of their fathers and grandfathers and bow to their imperishable glory.