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On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Central Military District said that officers in a Siberian-based unit fulfilled the wish of an orphan who asked for a tank ride as a New Year present. The boy wrote a letter to Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), Russia‘s New Year gift-giver, saying that he wanted to become a tank officer and asked for an opportunity to meet “real tank crew members” and sit in a tank turret. The letter came into the hands of local TV journalists, who handed it over to Major General Vasili Tonkoshkurov, the commander of the Novosibirsk-based 41st Army. Military spokesman Yuri Sivokhin said, “We were deeply touched by the letter, and couldn’t help but grant his wish”. In late November, soldiers took about 20 kids from the orphanage to a training ground near Novosibirsk, where officers showed them various pieces of military equipment, including tanks. Sivokhin said, “You should’ve seen the eyes of those boys. It moved us to tears”. After the visit, the 41st Army decided to sponsor the orphanage. The commander, with a group of officers, and a military orchestra, visited the orphanage on Wednesday to give the kids New Year’s greetings and bring them presents.
28 December 2011
RIA-Novosti
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20111228/170533463.html
