United by age

         29 … number, which provokes the most different emotions: from euphoria to meditation. For some 29 means all life, for others – a rare event, experienced with passion. But, beyond our individual feelings, this year all of us, who have a connection with the army, celebrate in an emotional unity the 29 years of existence of the National Army. https://dragostinavicol.wordpress.com/2020/09/03/uniti-prin-varsta/

         Only a few professional soldiers mark this event uninterrupted for the 29th time – we have more fingers on one hand. Thus, they become a phenomenon of the field, worthy of all our attention.

         One of these militaries is lieutenant-adjutant Victor Pîntea, a senior technician in the Motorized Infantry Brigade from Balti. The car and armored technique, once touched by the expert’s hands, revives and becomes conquering by new and new roads. There are no armored units in the northern brigade with the status of a museum piece since it is cared for with „Argus’ eyes”, and for those who take the outdated technique of the army, the technician responds balanced: „The new technique is more comfortable, it works on an electronic basis and is convenient to handle. But with each jolt, she gives in easily. While Soviet models focused on mechanics are more durable. In other words, the proverb Old Hen makes good soup, it is valid in this case as well. ”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0z6jgnesws

         The armored personnel of the Moldovan army, almost 29 years old, are lucky with the pieces, which are still manufactured or stored by specialists through the „corners of the house”, but also with the skill and dedicated attitude of technicians – skills cultivated since childhood in the case of NCO Pîntea: „It’s my childhood dream to be expert in-car technology. When a soldier came home and told me that he drove a TAB or a Kamaz, I would ask him questions as if he were taking an exam. I wanted to know everything. ”

         Today he knows everything, says those around him. His advice is very valuable for colleagues from other units and outside of the army. Today he knows a lot about car technology, he says: „… I don’t give a damn, but there is still the way to learn because you can’t know everything.”

         It seems that the love between the armored cars and the Pintea technician is an interdependent one and like at a wedding „until deep old age”: declared the soldier born on August 12 and who had 12 personal cars so far, all mechanical.

         Another interesting story is about Tatiana Grituc, senior inspector of human service, Hincești Military Center. In all these 29 years he worked in the same building, but with many changes of concept, such as the name of the institution: Zonal, district, and territorial military center, changes that unbalance and require time to return to normal, plus development. But the hardest year was the first one: „The young army, people were learning to organize their new activity, then came to the war … Gradually things settled down, we adjusted to the new rigors and around 1995 it became easier to activate, receive and send documents, at that time being responsible for the record of the military in reserve. „

         I want to emphasize that Mrs. Grituc is originally from Belorus, where she worked as a soldier. By marrying a Bessarabian, Moldova became the second homeland, and had a great desire to continue his military career. Aware that the military involves responsibility and sacrifice, which a mother with small children cannot offer, she has found a peaceful solution to work as a civil servant. All the challenges, including linguistic ones, he overcame in time and due to the organizational spirit the documents, implicitly those in the archive, are in an impeccable order: “ I like to interact with documents, to sort them, to sew them (it is a special technique), to arrange the shelves so they can be found easily later. And there is great satisfaction when the person comes and receives the desired information. I like to help people: some are looking for their parents, others are trying to find some months or years of work needed to fill out the pension documents… When I see the people’s eyes shining with happiness that he/she found a necessary document, my heart jumps up with joy. ”

         Mrs. Tatiana Grituc rightly associates her work with the Tetris game: „… You receive, you match, you arrange and after they have integrated, they leave the view, more precisely in the archive.” How good that the player is insistent, dexterous, attentive to details, and fast enough to move!

         The next protagonist of the article is the same ”the documental employee”. The difference is that she has not been active in the army for 29 years, but she is the same age as the military institution. This is the 3rd class sergeant Olga Cheptene, a combat line assistant from the Topographic Base, who feels a little more special due to this coincidence.

         For 4 years since she learned and improve her job, which is totally different from what she studied at the faculty of geography and computer science; she developed more skills in various courses and polygons, and she advanced in military rank. However, the greatest achievement is to overcome the fear of being in a team: “I am shyer, and interacting with other people is a challenge for me. I’m very lucky as a team. The kindness and positive attitude of my colleagues helped me to get the better of the difficult moments such as the alarms, the strict regime of the day, the wearing of the uniform … specific to the adaptation period. ”

         Now she feels the need for a change, she wants professional growth, a career as an officer, which means another position, possibly far from the current team: “I don’t want to break up with my colleagues. I don’t know how I would react when I had to choose everything around me. „

         We are all permanently in the situation of choosing. These three people chose a job in the army and a proper lifestyle, they chose stability, discipline, devotion, and modesty. We chose to know them, to appreciate them, and to wish them Happy Birthday together with the National Army!

September 2020