
Kalyusiki, Khmel'nyts'ka oblast, Ukraine
Lutsk, Volyns'ka oblast, Ukraine
Yakov Zhilyuk Biography
Before the war, he worked as a school director in the village of Kalyusiki, Khmelnitsky region. Survived the Holodomor of 1933. Saved schoolchildren from starvation with the help of a school apiary and a cherry orchard. At night, he distributed honey and cherries to his students. During the day, they could kill for a bag of cherries.
From the first days of the war at the front. He took part in the defense of Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol. Participated in battles in the Caucasus, the liberation of the Crimea and Kyiv. He took part in the battles for Elbrus against the German division of mountain rangers "Edelweiss". Twice he was shell-shocked. He was awarded two orders of the Red Star, the Order of the Red Banner, medals "For the Defense of Odessa", "For the Defense of Sevastopol", "For the Defense of the Caucasus" and many others. After the war, he studied at the Academy of the General Staff. Then he was sent to Ukraine and settled in Lutsk. He headed the Volyn Museum of Local Lore. Then he headed Volynvtorchermet. Retired.
He was married to a native of the Lviv region, an accountant of Volinvtorchermet Olga Pavlovna Zhilyuk.
In marriage, their daughter Zhilyuk Lyudmila Yakovlevna was born.