<jats:p>The article presents the results of a biographical study based on the recollections of older family members and documents from the family archive. It explores the life of V.G. Ershov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, as a typical and unique representative of the generation of victors, and raises questions about the role of family memory as a foundation for civic identity and historical continuity. The study employs biographical and historical-reconstructive methods.</jats:p>