“The first year in Afghanistan, I was terrified of dying,” he says, having served in the Special Purpose Service of the Lithuanian Army. Later – an accident, a coma, fourteen operations, a wheelchair. Today, Andrius is fully recovered, but everything that happened changed him as well.
Reserve soldier A. Konstantinavičius served in the Special Operations Forces (SOP) for twenty years: ten years in the Vytautas the Great jaeger battalion and the same number of years in the Special Purpose Service, he participated in international operations in Afghanistan.
After a serious accident, he retired from the army, founded the association “1shot” and organizes training: “It would be a shame not to use the experience I have accumulated over so many years. This is tactical preparation of citizens, self-defense. The emphasis of the training is on the defense of the country. I have been doing this since 2014, but a special interest arose after the start of the war in Ukraine.
Immediately, the members of the Riflemen’s Union took part in the training, later, when the Russian invasion began in Ukraine, civilians began to attend as well. People understood: if you have a gun at home, you need to learn how to use it. Because if you have a gun and don’t know how to use it, then it’s better to have a whistle to call for help,” says A. Konstantinavičius.
A 15-minute conversation with Andrius – about the keywords of his life, the mission in Afghanistan, the accident and the endless stubbornness to get back on his feet.
– Andrias, what circumstances led you to choose the army in general?
