The Red Army’s Secret Beggar Corps

Panhandlers can be found in every country. There is no such thing as a perfect situation, especially between people and money. I have a soft spot for some of the male panhandlers in Rīga. A friend told me a story that many of the beggars on the streets of Rīga are former members of the Latvījan Corps of the Red Army. Not only were they conscripted to do the things they did. Now they are not even rewarded for those years of service. Even the best of them does not have the niggardly pension promised them by the government that they outlasted. One time I was chatting with one of the Marine Corps guards at the embassy, he confirmed the story about the Red Army veterans that have been reduced to beggars. I now have a little respect for the guy wearing a Sergeant’s stripes on a faded red army field jacket.