COLONEL ARTHUR SARGSYAN

Colonel Arthur Sargsyan’s wife, Armine, has been carefully keeping her husband’s belongings and documents for about seven months; he has not opened any bags to date. Showing her husband’s belongings one by one, she says in an excited voice.

– I have not been able to accommodate them since the day I was brought, I can’t. Arthur did not like to be touched, he ordered not to touch. And so I left …

During twenty years of living together, Mrs. Armine has always been by her husband’s side, toured different military units of Armenia, “served” with him.

– When we got married, he was already a battalion commander in Chambarak military unit. And from that day began our difficult, at the same time interesting and meaningful life.

Winemaker Artur Sargsyan, after completing his military service, decided to stay in the Armed Forces and become a military man. The great love and devotion to the homeland, the qualities of his responsibility and perfection in everything were the best preconditions for becoming an educated and literate officer. … Admitted to the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow. After studying for two years, he returned and was appointed Chief of Staff of the Sisian Military Unit.

It was here that Artur Sargsyan demonstrated the best qualities and skills of the military. After three years of impeccable service, he was entrusted with the command of the legendary Sisakan Regiment.

“My husband has an undeniable contribution to increase the combat effectiveness of the Sisian military unit, which will be confirmed by both his fellow servicemen and the locals,” says the heroic commander’s wife.

– I have known Arthur since the beginning of the 2000s, and we served together in the late 2000s, when I was appointed commander of the Sisian Regiment. At that time, Arthur was the chief of staff of the military unit. Our military unit took the first place in the army that year, we were awarded the Armed Forces Transfer Flag. This is, perhaps, the most important event for any large military family in a military unit, which requires hard work, dedication and responsibility to achieve night and day. If it were not for him, we would not be recognized as the best. Arthur had all the necessary qualities for a real soldier.

Colonel Sargsyan was a knowledgeable, smart, responsible person, who performed all the tasks on time, a decent officer. He has made a great contribution to the strengthening of the Sisakan regiment. … A couple of weeks after his death, when I saw one of Arthur’s faces with a badge, I asked him to give it to me. Now I put it in my office and I always feel Artur’s presence …, – the hero is introduced by the commander of the joint group of troops, lieutenant general Tigran Parvanyan.

Getting everything on time, completing the combat tasks perfectly were Colonel Sargsyan’s business card. He served in the third military unit with the same diligence and dedication.

In 2014, Colonel Sargsyan was appointed Deputy Head of the Department for Work with the Ministry of Defense. However, as Mrs. Armine mentions, the office work was not for Colonel Sargsyan.

– He liked working with a soldier. He liked to be always on the move. And while always with the army, Arthur managed to raise our two sons.

– On Sundays he always took us to the military unit to communicate with the soldiers, to see the magic and difficulties of military service. “He was gradually getting us used to military life,” recalls his eldest son, Sargis.

– We knew. In the first place is the Homeland, its defense, then the rest. And because of that, even if our relatives and close ones had occasions, be it a birthday, a baptism or a wedding, they had to agree with Arthur in advance, because everyone wanted my husband, their beloved Arthur, to be present at their ceremony.

… In July 2020, Colonel Sargsyan was appointed Deputy Commander of the Defense Army.

– To be honest, I did not like the Artsakh appointment. I had a bad feeling, I even cried… But I had to be by his side, I thought, this is another test of the way to go to the military, which we must pass together …

During the same period, on August 27, Sargsyan’s eldest son was drafted into Artsakh.

– On the morning of September 27, I woke up thinking that my son was one month old. “And suddenly there were terrible explosions. I opened the window, the scene was horrible,” recalls the heroic commander’s wife.

Colonel Sargsyan left for the battlefield with the composure and calmness of a soldier, visited the hottest points of the hostilities, and on October 4, after receiving a severe wound at the Shushi House of Culture, ignored his poor health, he returned to the ranks.

– Artur was supposed to come to Yerevan to be examined, but didn’t, saying that 19-20-year-old children are fighting and dying, my army is waiting for me, give me support and let me go. The friends testify that the soldiers did not even use a support, somehow reached the front line, performed their duties, – says the hero’s wife.

– After he was wounded, when I talked to him, he was in such a mood that I was not allowed to say that maybe you should go to the hospital, maybe you need to recover, maybe they will conduct a more serious professional examination. He said that he had something to do. “He knew what he had to do in that situation,” recalls Colonel Artur Adamyan, the deputy head of the Armed Forces’ moral and psychological support department. During the war, the military situation and military operations were discussed internally every day.

The last time the colonels talked was on October 25. Arranged to get in touch again the next day…

But the next day Colonel Artur Sargsyan did not get in touch. On the evening of October 25, he was killed by an enemy fighter at the Martuni command post.

During the twenty-three years of his service, Colonel Artur Sargsyan has made a great contribution to the establishment, development and holding of responsible positions in the Armenian Armed Forces.

By the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Colonel Artur Sargsyan was posthumously awarded the Combat Cross Order of the 1st degree …

By ZARUHI RSTUNI

Photos by DAVID HAKOBYAN

and ARSHAK KHACHATURYAN