Visits of world leaders, celebrations on the occasion of public holidays today are not complete without the participation of the guard of honor. This ceremony is a mandatory attribute and symbol of state power, emphasizing the high rank of the event or event. Moscow, the capital of the Russian state, is the main center and place where the honor guard in action is most often seen. At the memorial "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier", where the eternal flame burns, is the post number 1. It was here in the Alexander Garden, at the Kremlin wall, every day, from 8 am to 8-00 pm, soldiers of the Guard of Honor Troops of the 154 separate commandant's Preobrazhensky Regiment are on guard duty. Post number 1 was established in 1997 in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.
You can watch the ritual of changing the guard for hours without taking your eyes off. Second per second, in any weather there is a change of guard of honor. Soldiers in a measured, honed step, following along the Kremlin wall, cover a distance of 700 meters from the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial. The ceremony is constantly going to see hundreds of people. Particularly impressive is the Kremlin’s move, with which the military move along the entire length of the route. This movement brought the soldiers who serve in the company of the guard of honor to perfection. The distance from the toe of the boot to the ground should not exceed 20 cm. The step is carried out only with straight legs, which should always have a straight line when lowering. This practice has taken root in the Russian army since tsarist times. Not a single army in the world possesses such a military step. A soldier of honor guard, dressed in a brilliant parade uniform of the Preobrazhensky regiment, is the hallmark of the Russian capital. No less important are other functions performed by servicemen of the 1st and 2nd mouths of the guard of honor.
A bit of history
The new division appeared in late November 1956. It was then, by order of the Minister of Defense George Konstantinovich Zhukov, that a new military unit was founded - the 1st company of the guard of honor. The tasks of the new military unit included guard duty, performing ceremonial and protocol actions. The company, along with another division - the orchestra of the guard of honor - was under the jurisdiction of the military commander's office of the Moscow garrison.
Both new military formations were located in the Aleshen barracks, which were located in the South-East of the city. The first unit commander was appointed I.M. Slavin. From this moment, not a single solemn event in Moscow, not a single ceremony for the meeting of foreign guests, is possible without the participation of PKK soldiers. An important component of protocol events and in the observance of military rituals is the orchestra of the guard of honor, which participates in all significant events and ceremonies. Both units harmoniously complement each other, being today exemplary military structures of the Russian army.
A company of the guard of honor for more than half a century of history a thousand times took part in ensuring ceremonial actions during government meetings, public and political events and for garrison service. Even during the Soviet Union, the PKK fell a lot of work. The volume of representative functions has increased, the number of protocol events in which the obligatory participation of the guard of honor and garrison servicemen was provided for has increased.
In 1979, the Headquarters of the Ground Forces issued a directive on the basis of which the 154th separate Commandant Regiment was created. As a base unit, 99 separate commandant battalions and a separate company of the guard of honor were used. From that time on, the staff of the 154 Commandant Regiment consisted of two battalions of the Commandant's Service, a division of the guard of honor and combat support. According to the staff, the Commandant Regiment numbered 880 personnel and had specialized military equipment on it.
The guard of honor was actively involved in the meeting of the Heads of Ministries of Defense of the Warsaw Treaty Organization, held in Moscow in 1981. The PKK soldiers carried guard duty around the clock at all posts in the city, during the Moscow Olympics. However, the share of military servicemen of the curfew service fell a lot and severe tests. During large-scale fires that blazed within the Moscow Region, the entire 154 Commandant Regiment took part in eliminating the fires and the consequences of the violence of the fire element. Soldiers of the guard of honor were attracted to pay military honors during the funeral of prominent military and political figures of the Soviet state. Who among us does not remember the reports from the mourning ceremonies, during which the division of the guard service of the Commandant's Regiment was important.
The standing post in the mourning hall, the procession of the gun carriage with the coffin of the deceased, and finally, the mourning salute at the walls of the Kremlin — all of these were the obligatory functions of the soldiers of the commandant's regiment.
Guard of honor in the history of modern Russia
In the history of modern Russia, the place of the curfew is no less important. Already in 1991, at the highest level, it was decided to form a guard of honor as part of the 154 separate Commandant Regiment of the battalion consisting of two divisions: the 1st and 2nd company of the guard of honor.
Since 2013, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Commandant Regiment received the honorary title Preobrazhensky and the 154 separate Commandant Preobrazhensky Regiment was named. This is a tribute to the traditions, when under Peter I the guard service was carried by soldiers and officers of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. Today, the Commandant's regiment is stationed in the Lefortovo barracks and has its own, new parade uniform, very similar to the one that the guardsmen wore during the Tsarist era.
Today, the guard of honor companies continue to remain the elite units of the Russian armed forces. Service in this unit is always honorable and prestigious. Despite the seeming gloss and brilliance, service in guard units is not easy. So that the guard of honor looked appropriate, soldiers of the curfew regiment spend 5-6 hours daily in grueling workouts. It is not easy to achieve well-established actions during the changing of the guard, to have an appropriate bearing and posture. The soldiers, in addition to the drill, are engaged in training in the use of personal weapons. Traditionally, armed with curfews, there is an automatic, self-loading Simonov carbine, a constant companion of the soldiers of the guard of honor for the past 50 years. This weapon has already become a symbol and a business card guard duty. Together with participation in ceremonies and events, the soldiers of the commandant companies are in military service in the usual mode of a military unit.
Not everyone can get into this elite unit. In addition to good physical data, growth is not lower than 180, from the recruit requires perseverance, steel endurance and patience. During rigorous selection, attention is paid to the psychological state of the military. Despite the fact that the units are engaged in combat service in urban environments, soldiers suffer no less than in combat units.
Especially it is necessary to dwell on the drill. Before shining at parades and during solemn ceremonies, the soldiers, during the long 4 months, practice sharpening a step. Every day, morning, afternoon and evening, there are trainings in which soldiers perform the same drill teams hundreds of times.
Valorous work
The guard of honor is always the calling card of the armed forces. Here the tribute to the military traditions of the state is brought together and the present fighting spirit of the armed forces is demonstrated. In any state, the formation and equipment of these units is of particular importance. A ceremony in which soldiers and servicemen of the guard of honor company are involved is akin to a tactical operation, where every second is painted and determined by the action. Behind the beautiful screen of the ceremonial system lies a huge work, great physical and moral and psychological stress.
In the heat and in the cold, the soldiers of the commandant's regiment are on duty, leaving it only at the appointed time. Many hours of training during the preparation for military parades, will result in a minute solemn passage with the Victory Banner on the pavement of Red Square. However, without all this today it is difficult to imagine the existence of our state.
