THE 100-YEAR-OLD SOLDIER OF “TAMANYAN” DIVISION

Exactly 76 years after the victory of the Great Patriotic War, Grandpa Andranik again puts on his jacket the heavy weight of the abundance of medals and … sends his wish to everyone.

– Only peace. I am a soldier, a knight of the Patriotic War. “I just want peace,” said the 100-year-old veteran, whose vitality simply amazes us all.

Andranik, who went to the front in September 1941, crossed the war routes as an artilleryman. He reached Berlin with his cannon, was wounded three times, and as soon as he recovered, he rejoined the ranks of the “Tamanyan” division.

Speaking about the war and the awards, Grandpa Andranik confesses.

“This is the most precious and valuable thing for me,” says the grandfather, pointing to one of the medals attached to his chest. – This is the medal named after my military friend, USSR hero Hunan Avetisyan. Hunan was a senior sergeant. He was my fighting friend. I ate a lot of salt and bread with him.

Grandpa Andranik remembers the legendary commander of the glorious “Tamanyan” division Nver Safaryan. Fitting comfortably in an armchair, Andranik Gorgyan, who went through the horrors of war for four years, says:

– I arrived in Berlin from my father’s house. Every day and every victory brought us closer to the great victory. A few days before the victory, we met with the commander of the Tamanyan Division, Major General Nver Safaryan. The commander was generally a very gloomy and highly demanding man. You would never see a smile on his face. On April 30, after Nver Safaryan’s performance, we danced our traditional “Kochar” with the boys. It was that day, that moment of joy, that we first saw a smile on his face.

The knight, who was wounded three times during the Great Patriotic War, remembers another episode related to him.

– The projectile exploded very close to me, and the blast wave threw me into the nearby empty water pipe. I hear the conversation of those standing in my head. “Let him stay here until the platoon comes and carries the corpse.” I opened my eyes and said: “Guys, I’m alive, my face is bloody.” I had a prayer book in my pocket that my mother had given me. The Prayer Book that my mother gave me saved me, saying the words one by one and putting a smile on her face, says the legendary soldier of the Tamanyan Division.

By the way, on the day of the victory, May 9, Andranik Gorgyan’s 100th birthday was celebrated, in connection with which the acting Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan also visited his house to congratulate the veteran.

During a warm and relaxed conversation, Minister Harutyunyan inquired about the health of the veteran who had crossed the threshold of a century, noting that the feats of his other veterans of the Great Patriotic War were an example for both him and future officers studying at military universities.

– I came to congratulate you on your 100th birthday. “I wish you good health, I assure you that we will have a victorious army, և our people will live in safety,” said Lieutenant General Vagharshak Harutyunyan, handing the statuette of Marshal Hovhannes Baghramyan to Grandpa Andranik. And the chairman of the Republican Council of the Union of Veterans, Colonel Simon Yesayan awarded him with a diploma with the “Honorary Veteran” badge.

By NERSES IVANYAN

Photos by SIPAN GYULUMYAN