“The letter began with the usual words: “Our dear “Komsomolskaya Pravda” ... we are writing to you with the entire outpost and asking you to help for this reason. Political instructor Ivan Purgin served at our outpost - a sympathetic, warm-hearted man, a Voroshilov rifleman. July 25 of this year Ivan Nikolayevich Purgin passed away - he died in a battle with the Basmachi from Ibrahim Bek's gang. Purgin left behind his son Valya - he, dear newspaper, will bring this letter to you; We considered Valya not only the son of a political instructor, we consider him the son of the outpost, a common son, and our hearts ache for him. We replaced Valentina’s father, we also replaced Valentina’s mother, who died of typhus here in the Pamirs, but we cannot keep him at the outpost. We have no right. Our Valya, Valentin Ivanovich Purgin, graduated from school with honors and the time has come for him to make a decision...”