“White barracks” radio technicians
August 20, 2010 // Newspaper "Narodna Armiia"
In a small halytskii town of Brody almost every second citizen is closely connected with the army. And it is not surprising, as there have recently been deployed four military units with missilemen, helicoptermen, radio technicians and military men from the artillery and missile depots serving in one town. Therefore, informally Brody were called a small militarist capital of the Western Ukraine.
Soon the missilemen unit has been disbanded, and the artillery shells were taken away and utilized. Now there are only two real battle units – the Army aviation regiment (separate) and the Regional centre of electronic intelligence (ELINT) “Zapad”. It has already been several years that the helicopter pilots taking part in peacekeeping missions on the African continent are being trained on the base of the regiment. And the personnel of the Regional centre accomplish difficult tasks of radio electronic support and carries out permanent duty in the system of the ELINT. Each of these two units has its “code” name among the citizens – the “red” (due to the color of the walls in the helicoptermen unit) and “white barracks”. The names have become the distinctive visiting cards of the garrison units.
-..Are you going to “white barracks”? – a tall fit middle-aged man with unusual curled upward moustache asked us. – Follow me, I’ll show you the way. I used to serve as company sergeant major there…
It was obvious that senior warrant officer (Rtd) (as the casual acquaintance introduced himself) remembered his service with affection. He cordially speaks of his former commanders and comrade-in-arms with whom he still keeps in touch.
Having reached the main gate check point, the man warned us that for a stranger it is difficult to get to the territory of the unit. Until recently the unit was considered “control-accessed”. Severe and captious, at first sight, the check point guard confirmed the words of my recent companion. However, formal procedures were a little simplified by the circumstance that Colonel George Vakulich, commander of the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”, has been my friend for ten years already, since the times he had been in command of the “white barracks” company, and then battalion commander.
Before holding the present post, Colonel Vakulich has passed almost all commanding stages in this unit. Having graduated from the National Defence Academy of Ukraine, he became Deputy Commander of the 147th Special radio technical brigade, subsequently transformed into the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”.
His appointment to the post of the Center commander came up at the period of difficulties in the formation when several serious infringements of military discipline occurred and when the unit command racked their brains over the way how to provide the exemplary duty performance by the officers, especially young ones, and the education of subordinates.
During his first conference with commanding officers, Colonel Vakulich emphasized that officers should be demanding, first of all, of themselves and of the discharge of duties. He also had a profound and frank talk with their deputies. The major principle of further work with the personnel was based on the personal example of each officer.
Heorhii Vakulich has managed to win trust and respect of his subordinates not only as a commander, but as a person. His authority was also enhanced by the fact that he didn’t try to separate himself from the personnel. Doors of his office are always open for each of them. The commander cared not only for proper battle readiness of each unit, but also initiated sports and cultural events.
Heorhii Anatoliiovych managed to revive fruitful cooperation of the Center with the senior priest of the Vozdvyzhenia Chesnoho Hrysta church and the director of the charity fund “Karitas-brody” father Yaroslav Tsarik who became the spiritual guide of radio technicians. Thanks to the initiative and efforts of both parties, a football and a volleyball teams, prizewinners of the regional superiority, were created in the unit.
Large-scale cultural events or tours of famous artists are only a wonder in this small garrison. Therefore, remembering the well-known statement that a man cannot live by bread alone, the unit command does not forget about the spiritual enrichment of the military men. Among the most colorful events arranged, one can name the evening of the best specialists’ decoration, participation in the festival “Blagovishchu radist novu”, a concert of a first-class modern dance group “Kaleidoscope” from the neighboring Radyvyiv, Rivne region.
In addition to that, the cooperation with city schools and students from Trusha gymnasium deepened. The latter performed shooting exercises from the Kalashnikov gun at the military shooting range and visited the museum-room of the military unit’s combat glory, too.
By the way the history of this unit is really rather interesting and instructive. It totals almost eight decades. On August 19, 1932, in the city of Tbilisi, the 6th separate special radio intelligence company was formed on the basis of the radio telegraph. Subsequently, it has become a separate radio intelligence division. On the brink of the war, it has been renamed into a separate Special radio division.
First battles of the radio division combatants have begun in the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea. They intercepted ciphered radiogramms, successfully mastered communication radio nets, determined precisely the location of enemy aircraft in airdromes, watched all the adversary’s moves and warned our command about its raids. As a part of the 2nd Ukrainian front 442nd separate radio division has detected a group of tank divisions on the Kryvorizky direction and has timely warned about the advance of the SS tank division “Dead head” on that direction. Those were soldiers of the radio division who spotted the location of armies’ and corps’ headquarters during the forced crossing of the Dnieper, Korsun-Shevchenkivska, Umanska, Jasso-Kishynivska and Budapest operations. They participated in offensive operations of Romania and Hungary liberation and in the assault of Vienna.
Telling about the heroic history of the unit, the Deputy Commander of the Center for morale and welfare Lieutenant Colonel Taras Nechystenko emphasizes that traditions of senior generations are continued by those who now serve in the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”. In particular, radio reconnaissance unit under command of Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Bobko has been among the best ones for a couple of years already. Naming the best specialists of the unit, one can make mention of the command center chief Major Oleksandr Matiushok, the section chief Major Marjan Boiko, the automation department engineer Major Vadym Hromov, the department technician Warrant officer Oleksandr Petroliuk, the senior controller Sergeant Serhii Barchyn, the chart operator Senior Soldier Tetiana Ledahovska, the operators - Senior Soldiers Nadiia Prokopchak, Nataliia Onopriienko, Khrystyna Datsiuk and the others. They celebrate the 78th anniversary of the unit and the Independence Day of our state, and their contribution to the prosperity of the nation and the unit is diligent duty performance and achievements in the military field.
Photo: combat duty on the command centre of the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”.
Mykhailo HRYNEVYCH
Lviv
Soon the missilemen unit has been disbanded, and the artillery shells were taken away and utilized. Now there are only two real battle units – the Army aviation regiment (separate) and the Regional centre of electronic intelligence (ELINT) “Zapad”. It has already been several years that the helicopter pilots taking part in peacekeeping missions on the African continent are being trained on the base of the regiment. And the personnel of the Regional centre accomplish difficult tasks of radio electronic support and carries out permanent duty in the system of the ELINT. Each of these two units has its “code” name among the citizens – the “red” (due to the color of the walls in the helicoptermen unit) and “white barracks”. The names have become the distinctive visiting cards of the garrison units.
-..Are you going to “white barracks”? – a tall fit middle-aged man with unusual curled upward moustache asked us. – Follow me, I’ll show you the way. I used to serve as company sergeant major there…
It was obvious that senior warrant officer (Rtd) (as the casual acquaintance introduced himself) remembered his service with affection. He cordially speaks of his former commanders and comrade-in-arms with whom he still keeps in touch.
Having reached the main gate check point, the man warned us that for a stranger it is difficult to get to the territory of the unit. Until recently the unit was considered “control-accessed”. Severe and captious, at first sight, the check point guard confirmed the words of my recent companion. However, formal procedures were a little simplified by the circumstance that Colonel George Vakulich, commander of the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”, has been my friend for ten years already, since the times he had been in command of the “white barracks” company, and then battalion commander.
Before holding the present post, Colonel Vakulich has passed almost all commanding stages in this unit. Having graduated from the National Defence Academy of Ukraine, he became Deputy Commander of the 147th Special radio technical brigade, subsequently transformed into the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”.
His appointment to the post of the Center commander came up at the period of difficulties in the formation when several serious infringements of military discipline occurred and when the unit command racked their brains over the way how to provide the exemplary duty performance by the officers, especially young ones, and the education of subordinates.
During his first conference with commanding officers, Colonel Vakulich emphasized that officers should be demanding, first of all, of themselves and of the discharge of duties. He also had a profound and frank talk with their deputies. The major principle of further work with the personnel was based on the personal example of each officer.
Heorhii Vakulich has managed to win trust and respect of his subordinates not only as a commander, but as a person. His authority was also enhanced by the fact that he didn’t try to separate himself from the personnel. Doors of his office are always open for each of them. The commander cared not only for proper battle readiness of each unit, but also initiated sports and cultural events.
Heorhii Anatoliiovych managed to revive fruitful cooperation of the Center with the senior priest of the Vozdvyzhenia Chesnoho Hrysta church and the director of the charity fund “Karitas-brody” father Yaroslav Tsarik who became the spiritual guide of radio technicians. Thanks to the initiative and efforts of both parties, a football and a volleyball teams, prizewinners of the regional superiority, were created in the unit.
Large-scale cultural events or tours of famous artists are only a wonder in this small garrison. Therefore, remembering the well-known statement that a man cannot live by bread alone, the unit command does not forget about the spiritual enrichment of the military men. Among the most colorful events arranged, one can name the evening of the best specialists’ decoration, participation in the festival “Blagovishchu radist novu”, a concert of a first-class modern dance group “Kaleidoscope” from the neighboring Radyvyiv, Rivne region.
In addition to that, the cooperation with city schools and students from Trusha gymnasium deepened. The latter performed shooting exercises from the Kalashnikov gun at the military shooting range and visited the museum-room of the military unit’s combat glory, too.
By the way the history of this unit is really rather interesting and instructive. It totals almost eight decades. On August 19, 1932, in the city of Tbilisi, the 6th separate special radio intelligence company was formed on the basis of the radio telegraph. Subsequently, it has become a separate radio intelligence division. On the brink of the war, it has been renamed into a separate Special radio division.
First battles of the radio division combatants have begun in the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea. They intercepted ciphered radiogramms, successfully mastered communication radio nets, determined precisely the location of enemy aircraft in airdromes, watched all the adversary’s moves and warned our command about its raids. As a part of the 2nd Ukrainian front 442nd separate radio division has detected a group of tank divisions on the Kryvorizky direction and has timely warned about the advance of the SS tank division “Dead head” on that direction. Those were soldiers of the radio division who spotted the location of armies’ and corps’ headquarters during the forced crossing of the Dnieper, Korsun-Shevchenkivska, Umanska, Jasso-Kishynivska and Budapest operations. They participated in offensive operations of Romania and Hungary liberation and in the assault of Vienna.
Telling about the heroic history of the unit, the Deputy Commander of the Center for morale and welfare Lieutenant Colonel Taras Nechystenko emphasizes that traditions of senior generations are continued by those who now serve in the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”. In particular, radio reconnaissance unit under command of Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Bobko has been among the best ones for a couple of years already. Naming the best specialists of the unit, one can make mention of the command center chief Major Oleksandr Matiushok, the section chief Major Marjan Boiko, the automation department engineer Major Vadym Hromov, the department technician Warrant officer Oleksandr Petroliuk, the senior controller Sergeant Serhii Barchyn, the chart operator Senior Soldier Tetiana Ledahovska, the operators - Senior Soldiers Nadiia Prokopchak, Nataliia Onopriienko, Khrystyna Datsiuk and the others. They celebrate the 78th anniversary of the unit and the Independence Day of our state, and their contribution to the prosperity of the nation and the unit is diligent duty performance and achievements in the military field.
Photo: combat duty on the command centre of the Regional centre ELINT “Zapad”.
Mykhailo HRYNEVYCH
Lviv
