Uzbekistan is preparing to widely celebrate a landmark date – the Day of Memory and Honor, and the 73rd anniversary of the Victory over Fascism.
The announcement on May 9 in Uzbekistan as a day of memory and honors radically changed the meaning and content of the holiday. Thus, in Tashkent and regional centers, the monument “The Sorrowful Mother” was established, clearly revealing the true, humane essence of this date, the perception by the Uzbek people of destructive wars and conflicts.
The image of the “Sorrowful Mother” is a symbol of the veneration of the blessed memory of millions of people who were victims of the Second World War. Her face embodies unlimited motherly love, sorrow for untimely departed, recalls the fate of thousands of mothers, in the heart of which all life was fired the hope that their sons are alive and will necessarily return home.
On the pages of the symbolic Memory Book installed on the Memory Square near the monument “The Sorrowful Mother”, the names of all compatriots killed on the battlefield are inscribed in gold letters. This is a recognition of their courage, calls for lessons from the tragedy of war, that in Uzbekistan, the memory of man is eternal, his honor and dignity is sacred.
Adopted by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on April 16, 2018, the Decree “On the Encouragement of the Participants in the Second World War” and the Decree “On Measures to Prepare and Hold Events Commemorating the Day of Remembrance and Honor” determine such noble tasks as caring for war veterans, honoring the memory of courageous people who sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom of the Motherland.
According to these documents, ensuring a wide celebration of the Day of Remembrance and Honor will be the primary task of state and public organizations, a matter of conscience and the duty of all citizens of the republic. During the celebration, it is planned to organize events under the slogans “Human dignity is great, memory is sacred” and “Courage, duty and devotion”. The focus will be the unshakable firmness and heroism of our compatriots. The memory of the servicemen and law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty during the years of independence will be honored. A demonstration of military equipment from the Second World War and traditional fireworks are expected.
The Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan noted that representatives of the older generation, especially those in need, will be supported in carrying out repair work in their homes, landscaping of their territories. The document also provides for a trip for each participant in the war with the escort to the countries in which they fought to ensure that all costs are covered in connection with this. Participants in the war with an escort will be able to visit the sanatorium “Uzbekistan” in Yalta and Kislovodsk or health resorts located on the territory of Uzbekistan, free of charge with the provision of air and railway tickets. Participants and invalids of the Second World War are provided with a one-time monetary compensation in the amount of five million soums.
In Uzbekistan, people remember how costly the victory over fascism was, the invaluable contribution our people made to it.
The population of Uzbekistan at the beginning of the war was about 6.5 million people, of which 1.5 million participated in the war. On the battlefields, more than 500,000 of our compatriots died, thousands were missing, many returned with disabilities. All this testifies what price the people of Uzbekistan had to pay in struggle against fascism.
338 Uzbeks were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 120 thousand were awarded with military orders and medals.
During the war, our generous people accepted about a million families and children evacuated to Uzbekistan from front-line territories, shared with them the last piece of bread, surrounded them with warmth and care, consoled with the soulful words “You are not an orphan”, and this clearly showed nobility, mercy and compassion, high spirituality of the people.
In the war years, more than 100 industrial enterprises were evacuated to Uzbekistan and in a short time, they put into operation military equipment, ammunition and equipment, working at full capacity. In those years, Uzbekistan played an important role in solving the food problem. The Republic not only satisfied domestic needs, but also supplied the agricultural products to the army, the regions liberated from the fascists. The entire population, all resources were mobilized to protect the country.
The memory of the unbroken will and heroic deeds committed by our fathers and grandfathers who dedicated their lives to defending the honor and dignity of the country, the struggle against the predatory forces in the name of today’s peaceful and peaceful life is the sacred value of the Uzbek people living by the principle “we are for peace and prosperity”.
