Conversation so far:
Did Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn play a role in WW2?
During WW2, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn served as the commander of a sound-ranging battery in the Red Army, was involved in major action at the front, and was twice decorated.

Question: How long was he in the Army for?
Self-contained rewrite: How long was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the Red Army for?