Happy Army Day
Huh…. it is a grey and wet day today. Not even spraying Silver Iod, as they usually do it for holidays will help clear the skies today. What a sad Army Day. The interesting thing about this holidays is, that the people are off work today, tomorrow (Friday) and on Saturday, but most of them work on Sunday to make up for Friday, which usually is no holiday.
Here is what the Wikipedia is saying about the Red Army Day:
The Council of People’s Commissars set up the Red Army by decree on January 15, 1918 (Old Style) (January 28, 1918), basing it on the already-existing Red Guard. The official Red Army Day of February 23, 1918 marked the day of the first mass draft of the Red Army in Petrograd and Moscow, and of the first combat action against the occupying imperial German army. February 23 became an important national holiday in the Soviet Union, later celebrated as “Soviet Army Day”, and it continues as a day of celebration in present-day Russia as Defenders of the Motherland Day. Credit as the founder of the Red Army generally goes to Leon Trotsky, the People’s Commissar for War from 1918 to 1924.
More about the Red Army on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army
And here are some pictures from my army time. When I joined the service the Red Army was still our main enemy. Only a few months later that changed and now 16 years later I am living here in Moscow. It’s amazing how much times have changed.
