Vitalii M. Kozak (Kasper)

Vitaliy Kozak was born on June 29, 1981, in the city of Tlumach. Vitaliy's father, Kozak Mykhailo Ivanovych, worked as a paramedic and retired after many years of service. His mother, Kozak Orysia Mykhailivna, worked at a canning factory and later as a kitchen assistant in a café. She is now a pensioner. Education: 1987–1996 — Tlumach Secondary School I–III degrees; 1996–1998 — Ivano-Frankivsk Secondary School No. 1 I–III degrees; 1998–2002 — Ivano-Frankivsk Private Institute of Law, Economics, and Construction, specialty "Law". He graduated from the International Scientific and Technical University in Kyiv and obtained a full higher education in "Law" (2004). Career path: April 2000 — October 2001 — compulsory military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military unit in Ivano-Frankivsk, held the position of driver and squad commander. Worked in the district department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the region. From September 11, 2003, to January 31, 2004, he underwent initial training courses at the National Academy of Internal Affairs (Lviv Institute of Internal Affairs). January 31, 2004 – July 29, 2005 — operative officer of the criminal investigation department of the Tlumach District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. July 29, 2005 – December 23, 2005 — accountant of the Tlumach District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. December 23, 2005 – October 8, 2007 — inspector-programmer of the Tlumach District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On October 27, 2009, he was dismissed from the police service after 7 years, 7 months, and 20 days of service. During his service, he received 2 monetary rewards and a commendation for his valiant service. Vitaliy's last place of work was the territorial center for social services (provision of social services) of the Tlumach district. Vitaliy was a person with a broad worldview, loved hiking in the mountains. But he was most passionate about beekeeping, a love instilled in him by his father. In the hardest days of the Revolution of Dignity, risking his life, Vitaliy bravely defended people's hopes for a better future. In February, he went to the front as a volunteer. He did not escape a foreign bullet in the ATO zone… Vitaliy's parents, Mykhailo Ivanovych and Orysia Mykhailivna, are now bereaved, and his son Oleksandr is left without a father. In our memories, he will always be a kind, composed, and reliable person." The one who knew how to be invisible. The father of the fallen soldier from Prykarpattia speaks about the callous souls and inhumane people who sometimes can tarnish the glory of true heroes with their indifference. Hero on page 113 "They write about my son on page 113. Here, see?… This is our Vitalik. He was…", — Vitaliy Kozak's father flips through the book of mourning, memory, and honor of Ukraine "Candles Burn on the Heart of Ukraine," which briefly tells about the Prykarpattians who died in the ATO zone. But can it be brief when memories of him still torment the souls of his loved ones? Only a grandson remains from his son — 10-year-old Sashko. Sergeant, senior scout-radio telegraphist of the 93rd separate mechanized brigade from Tlumach, Vitaliy Kozak was killed by a sniper's bullet in the area of Avdiivka and Opytne, eight days before his 34th birthday. After his usual shift, the Prykarpattian soldier went to rest, but it turned out that a tank, while firing, had severed the wire that the soldiers used to maintain communication. It was necessary to reconnect that wire. Vitaliy Kozak, along with a comrade, went to look for the break. When they were still walking through the trenches, everything was fine, but then they had to step on the wire itself. At that moment, an enemy sniper shot Vitaliy. Right in the neck — in the carotid artery. Instant death. His comrade carried the dead body of the Prykarpattian. Suddenly, a tank started firing. A shell exploded nearby. A fragment took off half of his comrade's head. And the rest of the numerous fragments shredded Vitaliy's body. Inhumane people Immediately after the funeral, the parents began their torment — they knocked on the doors of various institutions to gather all the necessary documents. The results of the investigation into the circumstances of his death had to be obtained by any means, as Vitaliy's father Mykhailo Kozak recounts. When the grieving father first called the commander of the military unit regarding the investigation report, he only heard that the commander did not know about the death of such a soldier and was not ready to respond at that moment, suggesting he call back later. This man was "kicked around" for more than a week. Mykhailo Kozak was horrified, burned by pain and humiliation: his own child, his entire universe had perished, and they were indifferent — just another unknown combat unit. "Callous souls," the father adds thoughtfully. Fortunately, a lawyer from the regional military enlistment office helped obtain the long-awaited report. But the bitter disappointments did not end there. While Vitaliy Kozak's body was in the morgue of a Dnipro hospital, his comrade bought a new military uniform and handed it to the morgue staff to dress his brother properly. After all, the uniform in which the soldier met death was completely bloodied and riddled with fragments. But when the body was delivered to the Tlumach morgue, the parents were horrified: at the bottom of the wretched zinc coffin lay their son in a terribly torn and dirty uniform — in the same Austrian uniform that his father had once sent to Vitaliy at the front. Where did the new camouflage go that Vitaliy's comrade took care of? Was it really stolen? "Inhumane people… Is it possible to treat someone like this?" — says Mykhailo Kozak with deep sorrow in his voice. Did not come — was brought Vitaliy Kozak's life before the war was ordinary. Since childhood, he helped his father with beekeeping. He obtained a legal education and worked in the district department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which his father is still proud of. "When he went to work in the police, I immediately told him: God forbid you hit someone or take bribes," — recounts Mykhailo Kozak. "And Vitaliy never did that. He was always a good person." Then the man got married, and there was not enough money to support the family, so he had to go abroad for work. When the Revolution of Dignity happened, Vitaliy was one of the first to go to Kyiv. There, he repeatedly almost fell into the hands of death, but somehow managed to slip away. However, it seems that death remembered him and soon returned to claim him during the war. By the way, Vitaliy went to the ATO zone as a volunteer: he went to the military enlistment office several times to be drafted — he was constantly refused for some reason. Eventually, he was accepted. At the front, he immediately earned the call sign Casper because, like that ghost, he moved quietly and skillfully managed to remain unnoticed in the enemy's lair while carrying out reconnaissance work. Whenever his mother Orysia Kozak called Vitaliy at the front, her son always replied the same: "I am fine." On the day of his death, she also spoke with him. "What are you doing, Vitalik?" — "We are frying potatoes with the guys." — "I am making pies. Come to me, child, for pies." — "Mom, I will come soon." Did not come — was brought. "When I found out, it was as if the ground had slipped from under my feet," — cries Orysia Kozak. "I prayed to God to bring my son back, hoping it would all turn out to be untrue." In just one day, the grieving mother turned gray. "We saw on TV at home that there was a war in the country, that boys were dying," — sighs Mykhailo Kozak. "But we never thought that the war would come to our doorstep." Even now, at the mere mention of her son's name, tears begin to flow from the mother. Both day and night. During the day, there is a lot of work, and somehow everything spins around, as if it eases the heart a little, but then she enters the house, and there are his photographs. She cries again. If only he were alive On September 22, 2015, Vitaliy Kozak was posthumously awarded the Order of "For Courage" III degree. "Let there be no awards and orders. I would rather have our son alive," — says the father with tears in his eyes. Immediately after the funeral, Mykhailo Kozak initiated a fundraising campaign in Tlumach to buy a car for the boys at the front and food. Local entrepreneurs responded eagerly: some donated 100 UAH, some 1000. In total, they managed to raise as much as 65,000 UAH. The car was blessed and sent to the hell of the ATO with a prayer. Mykhailo Kozak told the combat comrades of Casper that from now on, this car would fight instead of his son. In life, Vitaliy Kozak knew how to be invisible to the enemy, and now he has become such for everyone and forever. But that is only to the human eye. A father's heart feels — his son is still nearby. Once, he even smiled at his father in a dream.