photo from Myroslav Otkovych’s facebook page
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In a series of columns «War Diary», we publish the testimonies, thoughts, feelings and experiences of those who are defending our country now, risking their lives every day. Myroslav Otkovych, a journalist and now a serviceman, shares how the military suffers from thirst, what the sky tells them and how their day begins.
We left for the field late in the evening. Command to dig in and prepare positions for mortars. Everyone has their own shovel.
First, we installed mortars, aimed at targets, unpacked the shells and started digging. The top layer of soil gave in easily. Subsequently, the plowed black soil ran out. Next is dry solid ground.
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The fellow nearby complains that the shovel is very uncomfortable. Changed. Now I have a short handle. I get on my knees and bite into every inch. Layer by layer. From time to time, I lie down at full height in the pit to measure the depth. Legs bent at the knees, left shoulder on the surface. Damn! If you want to live, dig deeper and longer.
I involuntarily remember my measured office life. 4 months ago, I was sitting in a comfortable chair, and when I had to, I went by car to a place of filming or flew by plane. Sometimes makeup, a suit and all that things. I catch myself thinking that it’s all some kind of sur, but I understand that there is no way back.
I’m digging...
I cut the roots with a sharp bayonet. Less and less forces. Did not sleep a day, ate the day before yesterday. The water ran out. Dehydration.
I lie down again to try on the size of the pit. Good this time. The whole body is below the ground, feet straight.
I turned around and lay face up. Looked at the sky. An unknown number of stars. Guess how are they feeling? Those in heaven and those on earth. Relatives, a loved one, close people. I am now between them. Neither there nor here. Between the worlds.
My trench looks like a grave from the outside. A hole in the ground for the body. Two meters long and a half a meter wide. Positions are ready for battle.
Dawn...
I have to get up. We run to the landing. We’re less noticeable there. We smoked...
My throat is dry. The tongue seems to crack like the earth in a drought. I recalled how my late grandfather Petro said that during World War II, soldiers suffered from thirst. He told how they saw a muddy puddle in the middle of the road and drank from it. Being small, I did not believe. But now I would drink at least like that.
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The sun rises suddenly. It burns the steppe, looks into every crack and anxiously announces the beginning of a new day. The assault will begin.
The orcs settled a mile and a half from us. Our task is to cover the infantry with dense and accurate fire.
The guys are taking a cautious step, each holding his own sector. Everything is like in a movie. A single artillery unit works.
I, meanwhile, look for signs of dew on the leaves of trees. There are none. Suddenly someone shouts softly. A whole bottle of water in the next unit! We greedily swallow the liquid one by one, so that part of it flows down the beard and cold drops are poured under the clothes.
The body reflexively compresses and then, conversely, relaxes. It seems that the body is ready to absorb moisture even from the skin. How delicious!
We recovered a little and move forward. It’s only later that I learned that water had been collected from a nearby swamp lake, where frogs were croaking and shells were flying. Yes, it’s not a puddle, but... I looked at the sky again, my grandfather smiled there.
Now we understand each other.
We will win!
The author’s column is a reflection of the author’s subjective position. The editorial board of «Tvoe Misto» does not always share the views expressed in the columns, and is ready to give dissenters the opportunity for a reasoned answer.
By Myroslav Otkovych, translated by Vitalii Holich
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
