Nanka Serkedzhieva
Nanka Serkedzhieva (1925–2012) was a Bulgarian officer. The second woman in Bulgaria to reach the rank of Major General in the Bulgarian military forces. During her military career, Nanka received a total of 9 awards, making her one of the most awarded female army officers in Bulgaria. Life. Nanka Dincheva Serkedzhieva was born in 1925 on the 22nd of September in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She attended high school in Plovdiv until 1943 when she was discharged due to breaking school rules. She joined the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1944. In 1945, Serkedzhieva continued her education at Plovdiv University, but  briefly after decided to drop out due to pregnancy. In 1950 she joined the Ministry of internal affairs as an officer and also took part in the Central intelligence agency of Bulgaria. The most prestigious among her medals and awards were “Red Flag” and “Red Star”, along with “Hero of Socialist Labour”. Nanka Serkedzhieva passed away on the 5th of December 2012.