Bubbe's Place: Stories

The Reluctant Soldiers

One day in 1918 the soldiers of the Bolshevik Army descended on Koshovato searching for young men. Every young man they found, they took away to serve in their army. Menashe was caught in the round up. The next day when Yussel returned to Koshovato he learned that Trotsky’s Army had conscripted his friend. He immediately set out in pursuit. He did not want to be separated from his dearest friend.

There they were, the two of them, in the army. But such a disorganized army, like you never saw. No one appeared to know where they were going. A few men in uniforms shouted at the crowd of country men and boys who were huddled together in the train cars. No one in charge knew the names or even exactly how many males were assembled in those railroad coaches.

Pensively Yussel asked, “Menashe, do you want to be in the army? Do you like it?”

They hadn’t even started to drill. They hadn’t yet marched with backpacks or been shot at. They didn’t have uniforms. Still Menashe knew he wasn’t going to like it and he told Yussel as much. Yussel agreed. The army had had its chance and lost: they were going to go home. But how?

Yussel had a bold idea. He told Menashe to get off at the next train stop and start walking, not hurriedly, just normally. If he was stopped, he should tell the questioner that he was going to buy a pot of tea. Yussel cautioned, “Don’t hesitate and don’t look back no matter what. Trust me. I’ll catch up and we’ll escape together.”

Menashe did it! He was out of the station and two kilometers down the road before Yussel caught up to him. They began the long walk home. Koshovato was far away and the young men soon decided that walking was too slow and tiring. They tried to hitch rides in wagons, but they weren’t too successful. Sometimes they got a ride and sometimes they got a good crack from the driver’s whip. But the important thing was that they were out of the army and on their way home. Soon after reaching Koshovato they were to set out on a longer journey to America.

Sholke, Yussel’s older brother, was not as fortunate. In 1911 when he was 22 years old he was conscripted for service in the army of the Tsar. Shlomo, his father, raised 1000 rubles to buy Sholke a blue ticket. This card certified that he had a medical disability (heart murmur) and was unfit for military service. The financial sacrifice was worthwhile for Sholke was now free from all military obligations, or so they thought.

Six years later the expensive blue card was worthless. Sholke was on a business trip to Moscow to purchase goods for his store. Suddenly Bolshevik soldiers entered the train and mobilized all the young men on board. There was no discussion or medical examination. One minute you were a passenger and the next minute you were a soldier.

They gave him a gun and sent him east to fight the White Army of the Tsar. Sholke had never held a gun in his life. He did what he was told to do. Finally his luck changed. An officer asked where he was from.

“Kiev, Sir,” he replied.

“Where in Kiev?” asked the officer.

Soon they discovered they had a mutual acquaintance and better still Sholke had delivered packages to and knew the lady who was the officer’s mother. The officer felt kindly toward this “friend” of his mother, and decided to help the young man.

“You don’t belong in the infantry. You are no marksman. You, little shopkeeper, belong in the quartermaster corps.” And so it was.

Sholke was safer and more at ease in the supply side of the army. One day, looking at the invoices and train schedules, he noticed a train would be returning from the East to Kiev. He spoke to no one, but when the train left Siberia, it had an unauthorized passenger. Sholke was on his way home.