Siberian Wedding, Part 2..3/4

Siberian Wedding Part 2
by Henry Sakaida..continued

Now after all these years, she was finally able to keep her promise. In appreciation for my efforts, the government speaker presented me with two large books. One book was on the history of Buryatia and the other was a huge atlas on Tibetan medicine.
After we left the building, we all went to the cemetery where an honor guard had assembled. I laid a bouquet of flowers on Khantaev's grave while Nick Fotheringham (father of the groom), representing the American wedding party, also laid flowers. Friends of the hero reminisced. A volley of shots was fired from AK-47s to finally conclude the ceremony.While the rest of the American wedding party departed for the resort at Lake Baikal (the largest fresh water lake in the world), I was taken to a large hotel where the government had set up an elaborate luncheon in my honor. Believe me, they spared no expense and I didn't hold back! As customary in Russian banquets, there were many toasts of Vodka and speeches. I do not drink, but on this fine occasion I relented and my body did not take kindly to it.
My next destination was to the home of Lyudmila Khantaeva. Outside of the apartment, I saw the bronze plaque honoring her father, which had caused her so much consternation years earlier.
We were joined by several people, including the Hero's old friend, who reminisced about him. "Vasily Khantaev was a modest man, " the old soldier said. When he came to Moscow for the Victory Day period in 1945, he rode in a cramped and dingy boxcar with all the other enlisted soldiers. I said to him, 'You are a Hero of the Soviet Union! Why didn't you tell the officials on the train? They would have given you better accommodations! And his response was that he didn't think it was important!'" The old man continued: "Anyone who wore a Hero Star was in danger of being snatched off the street by grateful citizens, who would invite them in for dinner, Vodka, and conversation! One day when

Left: Author Henry Sakaida addresses government officials and the press about Hero Khantaev's gold star and how it came into his possession. After an emotional response from Khantaev's daughter, the award was presented to the local museum representative. It was promised to the museum but had been stolen before it could be donated.

Vasily was walking down the street in Moscow, a beautiful Russian gal stopped him to chat. She told him that her name was Galina. She brought him home for dinner, and the family was surprised that the young man was a Buryat-Mongol, but they wholeheartedly accepted him. Well, they wound up getting married and he took her


	Above and Left: Part of the ceremony involved an honor guard firing a volley of shots, and the laying of flowers on Hero Khantaev's grave. The event was widely reported by the Russian news services. Vodka toasts and speeches were plentiful. The pomp and circumstance afforded by government officials underscored the respect the title of Hero of the Soviet Union still has in certain areas of Russia.

relatives, and friends of the bride were also on hand to welcome us.
I knew that Lyudmila was anxious to see the medal, so I quickly opened my backpack and brought out the small velvet-lined ring box containing her dad's medal. She immediately took it to look for the secret markings that she knew were on the medal. It was there, and she was almost overcome with emotion. I told her to take the medal and booklet home and keep it until the medal return ceremony slated for the next day. I was so fearful of losing them, I carried it all over Moscow and it never left my sight! When I took a shower, it was in the bathroom with me with the doors locked!
The following morning, the American wedding party members and I went to the government administrative building in downtown Ulan Ude. As we entered the large meeting room, we could see many reporters, military and government officials, old veterans, and spectators. As we were led to the front of the room, I felt like I was about to testify before the US Congress! Finally, Lyudmila arrived late and discreetly slipped the ring box to me, and the ceremony began.

The government speaker addressed the audience, and then I was invited to tell the story of Vasily Khantaev's medal and how it came into my possession. My friend Natalya Poupysheva was right beside me to translate word for word. I also told the audience that because of this medal, a local gal and an American from Redwood City, California, were getting married.
The bride and groom, and I handed the opened box, revealing the Gold Star Medal, to Lyudmila. That's when all the cameras in the room started flashing. Vesti News recorded the event and it was televised all over Russia. (note: see front page for stills from the Vesti news broadcast, and from the front page of Pravda Buryat Weekly which featured the ceremony) The Hero's daughter told the news reporters how much the medal meant to her family, and as she spoke for several minutes, she was on the verge of tears.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Lyudmila presented the medal and award booklet to the local museum representative. Her father's medal had been promised to the museum but was stolen before it could be donated.