"Service in the army is an honorable duty of every Soviet citizen." This slogan, so popular some thirty years ago, is now increasingly losing its relevance. And it’s not even that the Soviet government is no more. The fact is that an increasing number of young people are trying to avoid conscription. “Leaning” from the army is considered correct, and those who go to serve, for some reason, are called “unlucky” by losers.
Although is it possible to call a loser, for example, a paratrooper conquering the sky, or an officer of the navy plowing the oceans? Unlikely. But there is a special category of military men, who no, no, and even those who did everything possible to evade service would envy. Clothes with a needle, excellent dressing, excellent physical shape, a very special atmosphere. The guard of honor company has a special majestic beauty. Service there is an indicator of selectivity, one might say, perfection. Only the best get there.
A bit of history
Events in which guards of the guard of honor took part were distributed even under Peter the Great. If we talk about the time close to us, the Guard of Honor as such appeared in 1944 as an integral part of the special forces division to them. Dzerzhinsky NKVD of the USSR. And his first significant task was the meeting of Winston Churchill.
In 1956, the first separate company of the guard of honor was formed and surrendered to the military commandant's office of Moscow. In 1979, the 154th separate commandant regiment was created, now better known as the Preobrazhensky Regiment, an integral part of which was a company of soldiers belonging to the military elite.
In 1960, a special parade uniform for the Navy was created for military units of this class across the country: three types - for the Navy, ground and air forces. By that time, the company of the guard of honor was not only in the garrison of Moscow, but also in Volgograd, Kiev, Minsk, Odessa, Leningrad, Tbilisi, Sverdlovsk, Rostov-on-Don, Tashkent, Lvov, Kuibyshev and in several other cities of the Soviet Union. It is worth noting that for this military unit an orchestra certainly stood out.
Who will fall into the elite military unit?
For whom can a guard of honor company become a place of service? For children with excellent health, strong, hardy, and not only physically, but also psychologically. Because it is very difficult to withstand hours of daily training. But sometimes, in order to prepare a particular issue, to achieve perfect synchronization of movements, it takes whole weeks and even, possibly, months. But if an unscheduled event is planned, then the pace accelerates, and training becomes much more intense.
A guard of honor company takes part in meetings of foreign delegations, in the opening of monuments and memorials, laying wreaths at the graves of soldiers and many others. Moreover, in any situation, the soldiers should look perfect, without a single blot, in the heat and ice cold. Even if the same foreign delegation is late and has to wait. The elite of the Russian troops must stand tight.
Where can I see a company soldier?
The number of events in which the military has to participate over the years of service is in the hundreds. Moreover, sometimes how the country looks in the eyes of foreign states depends on how the soldiers show themselves. For example, a guard of honor company in Moscow in 1980 took part in the opening of the Olympic Games. The soldiers carried the Olympic flag. In addition, in 1981 a separate company of the 154th regiment met representatives of the Warsaw Treaty member states; in 1985 participated in the World Festival of Youth and Students. In 1987, she took part in the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino and in the Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR.
PC 165th Separate Rifle Company
The company of the guard of honor for the majority is associated precisely with the Preobrazhensky regiment. Many young people who go to serve dream of getting there. Of course, this military unit is almost unique, but it is still far from the only one of its kind. For example, residents of the northern capital with great respect for the 165th OSR PC. Her story is slightly shorter than the history of the Preobrazhensky regiment company. A contingent company of the guard of honor was formed in 1961. St. Petersburg was then called Leningrad. But even now it is the only military unit in the entire region providing meetings and seeing off military and state delegations, taking part in official events. And not only in the Leningrad region, but also in the entire North-West region. And given the fact that St. Petersburg is the second most important city in our country, it is quite natural that the number of such events is increasing every year. So, the Separate Rifle Company PK met the first persons of such countries as Great Britain, the Netherlands, the USA, Italy, Belarus, Greece, Uzbekistan, Denmark, Germany, and Norway. Naturally, such events as the celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and the Day of Military Glory could not do without her participation. More than once the company changed its place of deployment. Now it is based in the cadet missile and artillery corps (the former Leningrad Artillery School) and is located at 17 Moskovsky pr.
Interesting Facts
At the opening of the 1980 Olympic Games, foreign guests did not even realize that the soldiers of the honor guard company carried the Olympic flag . They were in good shape.
There was a moment when in the 154th OKP from all over the country they recruited twins, and 8 pairs of twins served in it at a time.
Once, the Chinese defense minister violated the protocol during an official visit by shaking hands with the guard of honor commander. To this extent, he liked the performance of the company.
The main guard post in the Russian Federation is a post at the grave of an unknown soldier in the Alexander Garden. It was formed to guard the Lenin Mausoleum in 1924. And in 1974, the first sentries and their successors stood on guard at the same time.
The company employees “print the step”, which was introduced by Paul the First, borrowing it from the Prussian military.
Conclusion
And in conclusion, I want to say, probably, a commonplace thing. Military service makes men out of boys, changes their worldview and perception of reality. Any mother or girl whose son or fiancé is worthy of service, if he is proud of the landing, the Navy, the border troops or a company of the guard of honor, his photo will be proudly shown to all friends. After all, it is these boys, youths, men who are the face of a great power.