THEY ARE LEGENDS!

Let’s adequately evaluate veterans

Chairman of the RA Veterans Association Council retired colonel Simon Yesayan told that if on the 65th anniversary of the Victory there were 3,500 Great Patriotic War veterans in Armenia, today there are 950. “They are legends, let’s them evaluate and honour adequately”.

War Veteran Azat Badalyan recently celebrated his 100th anniversary. GPW veterans, head of the village Qarashamb Zorik Khlghatyan, chairman of Nairi District Veterans Council Hrach Sahakyan came to congratulate the veteran.

– I participated in the Finnish War, when the Great Patriotic War started, – says the veteran. – During the war, even though I was a platoon commander, I didn’t have a title, I was an ordinary soldier, one of thousands. I fought in the Ukraine, Belarus, came to Poland.

In heavy fighting for Warsaw Azat Badalyan was wounded and sent to hospital in Krasnoyarsk. There he met nurse Vera and brought her to Armenia. He became a foreman on the farm, gave birth to children, now has grandchildren and grand-grandchildren.

However, all the participants were interested in the secret of longevity og Azat grandfather, to which he replied:

– First – I always wanted to do a good and useful thing, be needed, the second – I was never envious of others, and the third – lived honestly, did not betray. And one more thing – a healthy lifestyle, I have worked all my life.

Now Azat grandfather is looking forward to the spring, to take care of his garden…

At the end of the meeting the chairman of the Association of Veterans Council Simon Yesayan on behalf of the Association of Veterans of the Republic of Armenia and the Committee of Veterans of War and Armed Forces of Armenia awarded a certificate to Azat Badalyan.

ALICE ALAVERDYAN