Yakov Driz

Me, Yakov Driz, on my 60th birthday. Theseare the medals I earned until I was demobilized from the army in 1950. I also went to school and studied in the 8th grade before I was recruited to the army. We went to the military registration office in Vinnitsa, from where I was sent to the Far East. This was in the winter of 1944. We traveled across Siberia for 43 days. In the Far East I was sent to the Pacific Ocean Navy. I participated in the war with Japan. After the war we stayed in Port Arthur in China. We were liberating China, Korea and Manchuria from the Japanese. We stayed to serve there after the war. My service lasted six years. Later, this Pacific Ocean fleet separated into two fleets ? number 5 and number 7. My service was in fleet number 5, which spread from Vladivostok to Port Arthur. I had friends there and still meet with them annually. They are Jews, Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars and members of many other nationalities. Ivan Khometsky, a Ukrainian, was my closest friend then. We spent time together talking about our plans for the future and about our lives.