Aleksandr Yegorov started off as a career officer. By 1905, he was second lieutenant without stain in his career. In 1904, he became a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, setting him on the path towards the Red Army and eventual exile. Once the war began, he rose quickly through the ranks. By 1917 Yegorov, fresh lieutenant colonel, had been wounded five times on the line of duty, and was decorated for his bravery and boldness in the face of danger. After the October Revolution, Yegorov radicalized further towards the Bolshevik cause. He became an organizer in the newly-born Red Army, and used his experience in trying to hammer an effective fighting force out of the irregular Bolshevik militias. As the war grew more grim for the Reds, he was dispatched to command the southern front. Yegorov was wounded yet again in bloody fighting near Tsaritsyn. Despite his skill and respect by his men, the tide of the war was turning against the Revolution for good. He kept fighting to the bitter end, and would have decided to die in Russia if not for his comrades pleading him to escape. Having forged reputation of expert organizer and fearless frontline commander, Yegorov was respected as a revolutionary specialist, with skills to turn scattered revolutionary bands into proper military formations."