Excerpt from an order issued to Colonel Nezhynski.

This is an excerpt from an order issued in Zakavkaziye by military troops #0166, in gratitude to me, Colonel Nezhynski, on 7th October 1959. It reads: 'For good performance during training, high initiative and discipline I express my gratitude to Colonel S.M. Nezhynski. Commanding officer of Zakavkaziye military troops Army General Galitski? In 1949 I decided to enter the Military Academy, named after the Soviet commander of the period of the Civil War Michael Frunze, in Moscow. In 1950 I was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1952 I finished the academy with honors. After finishing the Academy I was sent to Transcaucasia units where I became deputy commanding officer of the artillery branch in our regiment. It was too much for the budget to keep a graduate of the Frunze Academy in the position of commanding officer of a division. In 1953 a new position was introduced in divisions: assistant commanding officer of anti-aircraft defense. The commander of the division decided to use me for this position. This position had to be held by at least a colonel in rank, and in 1956 I was given the rank of colonel. I was 33 years old and was the youngest colonel in our area. In 1958 I was assigned as chief of operations department of the division: this was another promotion. The chief of operations department is assistant chief of headquarters of division. The operations department is a main department in a division: it does all the planning and scheduling. There is an operations department, intelligence, communications, engineering department, etc. in a division. The operations department is number one. When the chief of headquarters went on vacation the commanding officer of division authorized me to be his replacement. Later I was transferred to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. In 1960 I became acting chief of operations department in Yerevan. It lasted for a year. In 1962 I was elected as a deputy of military at a district council of people's deputies. I took an active part in all sessions of this council. I was responsible for protection of interests of the military and their families.