Nairamdal

“Where is your son serving in the army?” we asked.

“My son Ulzii is an officer in Baishint. You may perhaps know him,” replied Damba and showed us a photograph taken from the wooden box. The photo had the image of a Russian and a Mongolian soldier.

“Which of them is your son?” we asked jokingly.

“They are both my sons,” Doulma said, “the Russian and the Mongolian alike. This Russian fought alongside my son at Khalkhiin Gol* and he carried my son when he was wounded on the battlefield. Now my son Ulzii constantly corresponds with this Russian boy.”

The old man kept silent as if thinking, and looking at the photograph he exclaimed sadly: “These photos are a wonder! The image remains forever. It was a sad pity that photographs were not taken when we were on the battlefield.”

The old man’s face shone with joy when we asked him, “Did you ever go to war?”

“A Russian officer gave me this sword,” said he, showing a sword. “He was one of those brave comrades who was fighting for the freedom and happiness of our Mongolians. I think he is now fighting the German fascists...

“After hunting marmots for my family, I joined the people’s partisans with the only horse I had then.

“Since then the Mongolian nation has been changing before my eyes. Our life is improving as the nation is moving forward. Now I own about twenty horses, thirty cows and a hundred sheep...”


*Khalkhiin Gol – in 1939, imperialist Japan waged a war against Mongolia and was defeated


--Ts.Damdinsuren, “They Are Both My Sons,” 1943, translated by Ch.Burenbayar