“PZ" - border zone

In 1976 I started working in Vērgale forestry as an assistant forester, I worked until 1982. Then I was persuaded to go as the chairman of the council of peoples of Vērgale village.
When I came to Vērgale and started a family, Vērgale parish was a border area with all its consequences. There were limited opportunities to enter here, those who were registered here could drive all over the area if two letters were printed in the passport - the stamp “PZ” - podgranicnya zone (border zone).
Until 1995, the train Liepāja - Ventspils ran, then you could buy a ticket from Liepāja to Ventspils or vice versa, and you could get out where you like. It was the same with buses. There was such a route Liepāja - Aizpute c. Roads also stopped on the road and checked documents, but this strict regime gradually relaxed.
It could not be so easy in Jūrmala. I remember a case when my family and two small children went for a swim in Jūrmala near Ziemupe, near the Laiku house. It wasn't long before one Russian was present in the boots of the kirzas and on the shoulders of the machine gun, the dog at the bandage. I didn't understand where he came from. At that time I had a red book in my pocket, a service card "Lesnaja služba SSSR" (USSR Forest Service), I showed it, he "gave credit" and left, because as an official I had the right to stay there. The red covers and the USSR were very important, because they were a sure guarantee that I was not a foreign spy, and I would not run away.
In the territory of the then village of Vērgale, if I'm not mistaken, there were three troops. In Šķēde, close to Liepāja, there was a border guard post, with a total staff of about 50 people. In Ziemupe there was a part of missiles ("ground-to-air" type missiles, with which, as far as I know, no missiles were fired from the ground), but in reality there were missiles there, both in positions and on machines, in combat readiness. There was also one part in Saraiķi (between Ziemupe and Šķēde), but I don't really remember what. There were no strategic or nuclear weapons in the territory of Vērgale.
The current municipalities, within the boundaries of Pāvilosta district, near Akmensrags were "black" or sea border guards. Pāvilosta also had border guards, as well as a base that "refueled" ships and submarines at sea.
Trainings for the army were often organized, but then the locals were warned in time, the same is happening even now, when the Latvian Army is organizing exercises.
It was not the case that there was hatred between the two sides, the people and the army, because they had become very accustomed to each other over the years. It must be said that the army also had its own benefits, they helped the municipality to maintain order together with our public order guards, they were attacked by all kinds of hooligans and nomads.
The great benefit at certain times was that we fed them when there were no meat, no butter, no cigarettes or anything in our stores, then we drove to the North, to the rocket part. They had their own shop with their own supplies, they also let us shop.
It has already had its benefits, because we still have untouched nature on the coast, it is undeveloped, unpaved, undeveloped, it is the merit of the border area. We are already winners in this respect, but it cannot be judged unilaterally.
The officers' wives were also involved in local life, one was the manager of a canteen in Vērgale. The co-operation of the village with the army was what it was, but this was not the case when the chairman of the collective farm grazed in a circle with a pig's thigh and got cement, it was in places where construction took place, for example in Skrunda. But they helped maintain order when needed, especially during the holidays.
Control of the army "from above" has been and will always be, especially if a general from Moscow wants to catch fish and "bite". As soon as any trouble occurred, control was inevitable. I remember when a corncob had flown from Dobele to Gotland, sometime around the 1980s, then the army was "chakrous" quite a bit, and someone's shoulders disappeared. Nothing anti-state happened here.
There were places in Saraiki and Ziemupe where locals could go to the seaside during official hours. In summer it was longer, in winter it was very short. In the 1980s, the beach was no longer used, but one lane was driven with a cultivator once or twice a day and was not allowed to cross. Barbed wire was pulled immediately after the war, it did not work for a long time. The communication line was maintained in excellent condition at all times.
The fishing took place with the permission of the border guards. It was pure conversation, because fishing on boats at sea was forbidden on our side. The Russians wanted the fish themselves from time to time, and when the time came when they wanted to drink vodka with sticks, they found out if they did not threaten inspections, and went fishing together. At that time, the nets were not laid for several days, because it was due to re-entry into the sea, it was not safe. The wire is routed regularly, in places where there are no stones, both in Akmensrags and on the Šķēde side.
It was fished regularly. I remember the huge role of eels, 96 eels in one go, nothing better!