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Family Is All That Matters 40 shouted. "You sabotaged the plane! Come with me to the chief engineer." As they approached the chief, the technician continued to talk, and at some point said, "All Jews are cowards, so really no Jew would have the courage to be a traitor." To which Iosif replied: "Are you trying to tell me that Trotsky is not a traitor? That, I will tell the chief." The technician became quite worried, and dropped the matter. Iosif went back to see that the airplane was repaired. Despite situations like this, Iosif undertook his professional training with enthusiasm. He studied hard and got good marks. The Russians had developed an interesting approach to maintaining aircra. Every Russian airplane was supported by a three-person crew: a pilot, a Above: Volchanskaya Military School of Flight Mechanics Diploma, September 1, 1943. Volsun Iosif Shlemovich attended Volchanskaya Military School of Flight Mechanics, completed the course of training of Red Army AF flight mechanics, and in accordance with the requirements set by the Examination Board was awarded the qualification of "flight mechanic" along with the military rank of sergeant. mechanic, and a mechanic's assistant. Together these three men depended on each other for survival. The pilot would regularly take the mechanics up into the sky to impress upon them that keeping the airplane well-maintained was critical, because the pilots would be killed if the planes did not perform. In any case, Iosif was not worried. He knew the planes he worked on were in good condition. And he loved the thrill of flying, the feeling of eedom. He would sit behind the pilot and watch the earth drop away and for a few minutes he could fantasize that he was at the controls. Iosif graduated om the training academy with honors in 1943 and was immediately sent to the ont in Yugoslavia.

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