AKIPRESS.COM – Written by his grandson, Kuttubek Toktosunov, this tribute honors Toktosun Matkalykov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War whose story is being shared publicly for the first time.

Drawing from archival sources such as “Memory of the People” and Red Army documents, the narrative traces the journey of a man born in 1922 in Osh region of Kyrgyzstan, who left his simple peasant life to defend the motherland.

Called to service at nineteen in October 1941, Matkalykov was deployed to the 17th howitzer artillery regiment during the desperate defense of Moscow. He survived the brutal winter of the German “Operation Typhoon” and participated in the historic counteroffensive that pushed enemy forces back from the capital. Despite sustaining a shrapnel wound in May 1942, he returned to the front, eventually serving in the 599th Howitzer Artillery Regiment during the Siege of Leningrad. He was instrumental in the January 1943 operation that broke the blockade, earning the “Medal for the Defense of Leningrad.”

His combat path continued through the liberation of Estonia and Latvia with the 281st Army Mortar Regiment, which was awarded the honorary title “Valga” for bravery. From the Baltics, his unit moved to the Carpathian Mountains, fighting through Poland and Czechoslovakia. By May 1945, Junior Sergeant Matkalykov had reached the city of Ostrava in the modern-day Czech Republic.

For his courage throughout these campaigns, he was awarded the “Medal for Courage” and the “Medal for the Defense of Moscow,” among other honors.

Though he survived the war, the physical and emotional toll was immense. Toktosun Matkalykov passed away in 1956 at the young age of thirty-four.

His grandson emphasizes that while his grandfather never sought fame or saw himself as a hero, it was the quiet, repeated choice to fulfill his duty—despite wounds and exhaustion—that secured the Victory. His story stands as a vital link between generations, ensuring that the sacrifices made between 1941 and 1945 are never forgotten.