THE UNSURRENDING PLATOON COMMANDER

Various media outlets covered the feats of the platoon led by Sen Lt Margar Saribekyan during the war. The lion boys and the commander are modestly silent about their heroism, instead their comrades-in-arms speak, even the enemy speaks. During the exchange of the bodies of the victims, the enemy colonel confessed that this area of ​​the common front was one of the most dangerous for them. They suffered significant human losses due to stubborn resistance.

This part of the north-east of Artsakh, the protection of which was entrusted to brave Margar, is still impregnable, and today the Armenian flag is flying there.

For the exceptional courage shown in the 44-day battles, the platoon staff was recently rewarded with high state awards: 15 servicemen were awarded the Order of the Battle Cross of the 2nd degree, 9 for the Medal of Courage, and the rest for the Medal of Combat Service. The platoon commander, Sen Lt Margar Saribekyan was awarded the Combat Cross order of the 1st degree.

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The dawn of September 27 opened with alarm. The enemy had launched a large-scale offensive along the entire border, using all its arsenal.

The unit led by Margar, receiving a task from the commander, rose to positions.

Nine of the platoon members were from the last conscription, they had served less than a month, but in that short period of time, thanks to the consistent work of their commander, they were so well trained in fire and physics that were no different from the old ones.

The squad has been in the spotlight since the very first day of the war.

On the first day, five enemy tanks and several hundred special forces units tried to break through this difficult part of the front, but met with unrelenting resistance. On September 29, the enemy launched a tank attack, three tanks almost reached the trench, but the fire of the grenade launcher prevented the advance.

Smerch, Grad, TOS …, the enemy fired from all types of weapons.

Margar instructed his soldiers not to gather, to be as far away from each other as possible so not to be targeted by the enemy. Every effort was made to keep the soldiers safe.

“There was not a single weapon that was not used by the enemy in my segment, the Smerch shell exploded next to us, we did not even have any wounded. After each attack, we thoroughly analyzed our shortcomings and strengths during the battle, correcting our shortcomings,” says Margar.

The battle of October 13 was one of the heaviest, the enemy had already gathered the previous evening. Early in the morning, the heavy artillery of the enemy went to work.

“It was before seven o’clock when I noticed that a group of about 60 people from the right side was trying to emerge and penetrate behind us. I ordered to open fire in that direction… Then we approached the group and neutralized … In some places a close fight was taking place at a distance of 10-15 meters. Another group was trying to attack from the front. We took them out of order.”

A young officer guessed the enemy’s intention. They decided to attack from behind and from the front, to fall us into a trap, occupy positions and move forward. But because of Margar’s clever tactics, their plans failed.

“We took 150 weapons that day. 200 special forces attacked us six times, but never managed to break through our area, and the tank attacks also failed,” he recalls.

There were moments when it seemed that fighting against the force and military equipment more than ten times more than the enemy was equal to madness, the victory of the enemy in the unequal balance of forces was predetermined, but not for Margar and his platoon. they rushed to the battle without hesitation for a second.

Those who knew in what area the battles took place and with what intensity, were amazed that the boys not only survived, but even won …

One day, one of the mobilized boys asks Margar what direction we should take if we give the order to retreat.

“I will not give an order to retreat, we will fight to the end, to the last breath … I have removed the word retreat from both my vocabulary and my mind.”

Margar’s soldiers, the volunteers who joined their platoon, fought with selfless devotion, following the example of the commander, clearly realizing that even one millimeter of retreat is equivalent to bringing the enemy closer to our dogs, our homes …

And they fought by singing, they fought by making humor.

” Commander, when the war is over, you will let me not shave and have a phone, right?”

“Commander, will you be the godfather of my wedding?”

You just stay alive, I’ll let you do anything.

But, unfortunately, the war does not happen without losses …

Sen Lt Arman Beknazaryan, Junior Sergeant Karen Yesayan, Junior Sergeant Arthur Veranyan … the guys who loved life so much gave their lives to the Homeland …

The death of his comrades-in-arms broke the soldiers of the platoon, and the commander himself, who trembled for the life of every soldier, accepted every soldier with compassion, was in a very bad mood, but also, as a soldier, understood that the spirit should not be weakened. He talked to his contemporaries, explained that no matter how difficult it is, they should not be discouraged. “We must take revenge by answering.”

The word of the commander seemed to have a supernatural effect, the forces multiplied a thousand times, and every day they gave the answer, painful, ruthless …

“The words of our commander were influential, he always quoted Nzhdeh’s words every time he went to battle, ‘It is better to die for what is worth living for, or to live for what is worth dying for.’ He was an example for all of us with his behavior,” says Arman Simonyan, one of the guys who was demobilized recently.

Margar was wounded four times during the fighting, but did not fall from his position. The wounded soldiers of Margar were returning from the hospital, refusing maternal care, rushing to the battlefield, saying, I will not leave my friends alone, I must be behind my commander …

“My soldiers are heroes, real heroes,” the senior lieutenant does not hide his pride. “They fought against the Turks at every moment before their deaths.” Sometimes they say that it was not a machine gun fight, but after any shelling the enemy attacked, there were so many, there were no numbers, they came in groups, but my soldiers were not afraid, they fought bravely, how they fought effectively. and skillfully using every weapon.

“We do not consider ourselves defeated,” Margar Saribekyan emphasizes at the end of the conversation, “we have not withdrawn an inch from the territory handed over to the protection of our subdivision, we have not retreated. The position where we fought, we kept invincible until the end, and even today the Tricolor placed by me and the boys of the platoon isflying …

By ALIS ALAVERDYAN