Every country should know its heroes. Such people have always met and, most likely, will continue to be found among the population of each state. Belarus is a big country with a difficult past. During the Great Patriotic War, this power gained 448 Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In addition, there are 7 people who have been awarded twice with this honorary title. All of them are Belarusians. Four received a medal during the Great Patriotic War. Two more - during space exploration. And one was twice awarded for the Civil War in Spain and the battles at Khalkhin Gol.
But the Heroes of Belarus of World War II are not the only ones who received an award from the state. There were those who, in peacetime, contributed to a particular field of activity.
Differences
It is a great honor for every Belarusian to receive the highest rank, which is awarded for merits and deeds in front of his country. Heroes of Belarus began to receive awards since 1996. Although a year earlier this title was introduced. It is worth saying that it was possible to distinguish the state medal from the star of the “Hero of the USSR” by appropriate actions.
The title “Hero of Belarus” was awarded not only for exploits during the Second World War. But also for successes in various fields: social, economic, cultural, etc. Although it was a military man who became the first to be awarded the title “Hero of the War of Belarus”.
Recognized but Not Awarded
For the entire existence of this gratitude, 11 ranks have already been awarded. But there is another person who was likened to the Heroes of Belarus, but was not awarded. It was Vodolazhsky Vasily Alexandrovich. He was a colonel in the Soviet Army. Born in Ukraine, but in 1995 received the title “Hero of the Russian Federation”.
In 1986 he was the leader of the operational group in the Chernobyl region. The maximum allowable number of days that pilots could spend on this territory was 15. But Vodolazhsky spent three months here. Of course, this affected his health.
Vasily Alexandrovich was treated for a long time in Moscow. But in 1992 he died. He was buried in the Minsk region in Korolev Stan. Thanks to courage and strength, he received the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, and was also forever included in the lists of personnel of the Belarusian military unit.
Self-sacrifice
The first Hero of Belarus is Karvat Vladimir Nikolaevich. He died six months before the state introduced this title. A military pilot in 1994 ended up in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. Two years later, he had to take part in a training flight. The conditions of this operation were to be extreme.
12 minutes after the start of the flight, warning signals appeared in the cockpit. He was ordered to return to base. In just half a minute, the message disappeared, but new ones appeared. Later it became clear that the control system failed. Management ordered Karvat to eject. But the pilot noticed that there was a village in front of him.
He independently decided to stay on the plane in order to take him as far as possible from residential buildings. All these events lasted only 10 minutes. The plane crashed flat with great speed near the village of Small Gatishche. Residents tried to save the pilot themselves, but he died in the fall.
Later it turned out that the cause of this tragedy was a fire in one of the compartments, which was not equipped with sensors. The fire damaged the alarm system, and then the control system. Karvat gave his life to save people and was awarded the title “Hero of Belarus”. Streets in the state capital and the city of Brest were also named after him. There is a registered square, a museum, as well as a school in the pilot’s hometown.
Control
The second who was on the heroic list was Pavel Lukyanovich Mariev. At the moment he is 78 years old. He is the director of a science and technology center. In the past, he began as a technologist at the Belarusian Automobile Plant. Career growth led him to the post of CEO.
Pavel Lukyanovich is also a doctor of technical sciences. He worked not only in practice, but also wrote a large number of scientific articles. He was awarded the title in 2001 for his success in the country's automotive industry.
Agriculture
In this area, the Heroes of Belarus are found most often. In 2001, as many as 3 people were awarded, another received an award in 2006. The first who achieved success in this area was Dubko Alexander Yosifovich. He only after death received the title of hero of the country.
Karchmith Mikhail Alexandrovich also became an outstanding personality in the agriculture of Belarus, for which he was noted in 2001. He is also an honored worker. For almost 30 years, he has been holding the position of head of the board at the Snov agricultural combine.
Vitaliy Ilyich Kremko also got into the list of “Heroes of Belarus” in the agricultural sector. He was also considered an honored worker in this area. He was the head of the collective farm "October". It was under his rule that the SEC “October-Grodno” reached a high level in the agricultural industry.
In 2006, another honored worker was identified in this industry - Vasily Afanasevich Revyako. He is a candidate of agricultural sciences. I gave this case over 35 years. He replenished the list of Heroes of Belarus thanks to his active work in the socio-economic development of the country.
Learning is light
Mikhail Stepanovich Vysotsky also became one of the awarded. He is not just a public figure and founder of the trucking industry in Belarus, but also a scientist. Created a school for the design and study of freight cars.
Born in 1928 and after the war he immediately began climbing the career ladder. At first he worked at the Minsk Automobile Plant as a fitter. After he proposed the conveyor in his thesis, he became a designer. Of the 50 years of work at MAZ, 35 worked as a chief designer. He received the title not only because of his “contribution” to the development of the automotive industry, but also for founding a scientific school, conducting research and training scientific personnel.
From superintendent to assistant to the president
The names of the Heroes of Belarus did not end there. The next outstanding personality was Petr Petrovich Prokopovich. He graduated from Tomashov High School. In the Luhansk region, he worked as a bricklayer, and later graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Civil Engineering Institute. In Kazakhstan, he began his career first with a master builder and later became the head of the department.
Returning to his homeland, he was also the deputy head, and the chief engineer, and a deputy of the Supreme Council. In 1998, he became chairman of the National Bank. In 2011, he underwent heart surgery, after which he was first dismissed and then retired. In 2012, he was an assistant to the president, and since 2014, he has been chairman of the supervisory board of Sberbank.
Received the title for reforming the banking system.
Culture
In 2006, Mikhail Andreevich Savitsky was awarded. He became the first cultural figure who was awarded the title and joined the list of “Heroes of Belarus” due to the active development of painting in the state. Also posthumously received the Order of Francis Skorina.
Spiritual development
Kirill Varfalomeevich Vakhromeev, aka Metropolitan Filaret, born in Kiev, is currently the Primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. From childhood it was clear who the future Hero of Belarus would be. He led political and social activities. Looking at all the merits of Metropolitan Filaret, it is not surprising that he received the title from the state for his many years of contribution to the spiritual development of the people.
Sport
Of course, we must not forget the contribution made by the heroes of the Great Patriotic War of Belarus. But time goes on, and people appear in the country who have given a lot of time and energy to other areas of life in peacetime. In 2014, the turn finally reached the sport. Daria Vladimirovna Domracheva received the title Hero of Belarus as the first female athlete.
For her 30th birthday, the biathlete has a huge number of awards and titles. At the moment, she is considered one of the best in her sport. Daria received the title from the state after she earned the third gold medal at the 2014 Olympic Games.
Each country must have such heroes. Moreover, these people do not always have to be connected with military affairs. It is very important for the state to develop in all directions. Therefore, the government should encourage people who contribute to science, art, sports, and the social sphere. It is thanks to the recognition of such heroes that society can find its idols and strive to improve not only its own life, but also the life of the state as a whole.
In addition, such people are an example for other states. Looking at their achievements, you can see the face of the country, as well as the level of development of society.