Nurse, artilleryman, and tank mechanic recount their service amid horrors of WWII
Now 103 years old, Valentina Minaeva spent her youth working as a nurse. During World War II, she tirelessly saved wounded soldiers, facing a constant influx of new patients without even enough time for sleep. Sometimes, she could only manage 3 hours a day. Vitaly Kolesov, now 100, dreamed of university at 18 but volunteered for the front lines instead. He served throughout the war, commanding a platoon. Nikolay Teplotanskikh, now 98, wasn't yet 18 when the war began, but his determination to defend his homeland led him to become a tank driver. After being seriously wounded, Teplotanskikh was not expected to return to the front lines, but he insisted and came back. Despite enduring the horrors of war and subsequent hardships, the veterans have maintained a positive outlook on life. What lessons can we learn from their heroic experiences?