THE INVINCIBLE WEAPONS OF THE FUTURE

“Gor was an unusual boy,” says Davit. And I think the same is said about all the boys who fought for the freedom of the Homeland. Or maybe they were really unusual. As much as I do not want to believe, no matter how hard it is to come to terms with, but maybe war chooses the best.

– Gor was different from the others from the day he was born, always at school, in the army, – Davit shows Gor’s pictures. He is wearing wide, military-patterned clothes, his hair is long and combed up.

“The look that is definitely unusual,” I say, “is more like a trendy rock singer.”

Davit is flipping through the album, and as much as I want to, I can not imagine Gor in a military uniform, the pictures one after the other do not fit in any way with my ideas about a defender of the homeland, a patriotic hero, a warrior.

“What else was unusual about Gor?” I ask Davit. He is Gor’s older brother, he is 7 years older than Gor. That is, he has seen her since the day she was born. I think that Davit will tell about Gor’s patriotism, will tell where the courage of the exemplary soldier of the national army, the Armenian who dedicated his life to the homeland originated. And Davit says:

– As a child he had lush golden, curly hair. At first glance, it just entered your heart. He used to be loved by everyone, and he responded to the acquaintance-stranger with the love and warmth of a relative. His most important, favorite job was to help people. Taking care of people was Gor’s profession. Believe me, I am not exaggerating. Gor was always happy, because the source of his joy was the success of others, the pain of others, the problems of others, the smile of others … He made himself happy from the success of others. And he did not wait for an answer for his care and help, his reward was the joy of the people.

– Few people have such joy.

– There was not a drop of reckoning in Gor. He was as clear as light, honest, naive. I remembered how he took care of our sick grandmother, then grandfather, with what love and care.

… Gor was exceptionally capable. He was both hardworking and capable. It was absolutely excellent. He participated in the Olympics. He made great progress, especially in foreign languages. It was as if he had a thirst for knowledge, an insatiable desire to know the whole world … He wanted to know everything. Music, movies, history … his interests knew no bounds.

At the age of 13 he became obsessed with roller skating. After measuring the capabilities of the mind, he began to discover his physical strength. People, passers-by looked at him with admiration as he performed the most difficult tricks in the Opera Square. Then he became obsessed with the computer, reading and reading with the same fervor. He would become the best programmer in the world … At Gor’s request, we sent professional literature on computer programming to the army.

– How was his attitude towards the army, how was he drafted? Was his patriotism somehow manifested before the war?

– I served in Artsakh, I kept the front line. When I was talking about military duty, army routine, Gor listened without any emotion, without enthusiasm. I can not say that he was excited about the prospect of enlisting in the army, it was just that defending the homeland was a duty for Gor that he had to fulfill, like all other responsibilities. I think so. Gor was a man of action, his deeds, aspirations were told about his emotions, not his language. Maybe he was going to the army with big dreams and goals, what do I know? One thing is clear, Gor became a perfect soldier, loved by both commanders and comrades-in-arms. He performed his duties as a soldier flawlessly.

– I think it would be a little difficult to replace the trendy clothes with military uniforms, to have a shaved head instead of an unusual haircut. To be deprived of freedom, to live by order …

– And I think that a man’s spirit, masculinity, honor are in another corner of the soul, and inner freedom promotes those virtues, not hinders them. However, there is a grain of truth in what you say. You see, we say, dear land, dear people, for Gor the planet was his home, the world was close to him, and he said that he would leave Armenia after demobilization. … Gor changed immediately when he started on combat duty. When he saw the endangered border of the Homeland. When the weapon is in position, in front of the enemy bullet. I think that was the time when the Homeland was separated from the world for Gor.

– You say that Gor has changed. How did that change manifest itself?

– He was constantly talking about positions, the border, his comrades-in-arms. Each time he counted the days when he would rise to the position. He told about their engineering work with such inspiration and enthusiasm, as if he were building the house of his dreams. All other preferences, goals and dreams were pushed into the background, the position became the center of the world. Gor was an “excellent of the Army”, a “brave fighter” and was proud of his achievements …. Then came September 27, 2020.

Gor and I were on different fronts.

– Did you also take part in the last war?

– Yes, I stayed in Artsakh for 48 days. When Gor found out that I was in Artsakh, he was very moved. He said, go home, mom, dad are a sin, I will fight for you. He said, “Davit, we must throw them away, we must cleanse our land from the enemy.” He who could live in any country of the world a year ago was ready to sacrifice everything for the freedom of his homeland. He always said, do not worry, everything is fine, but once he could not stand it. You can not imagine what a nightmare I went through, he said, let’s meet, I will tell. We did not meet … His last call was on October 12.

– What happened on October 12, did you know?

– The battalion commander told. Azeris start firing on a group of 60 people rushing to the aid of the defenders of Mataghis hill No. 536. The commander ordered them to get out of the cars and disperse in small groups. Gor was accompanied by four friends and the battalion commander. The drone bomb landed directly on the group. Everyone was killed, except for the battalion commander, who was a short distance from the group and was wounded.

– You are two brothers, you both took part in the last war. Your Simonyan family gave everything to this war. Our deepest respect and homage to you, your parents.

– If you knew Gor, you would understand that my pain has other sources besides being personal. If Gorn lived, he would share kindness, care, love, beauty with people until the last day of his life. But I believe that everything in the universe is balanced, nothing is lost, and our enormous losses will become the invincible weapons of our future struggle, will become strength, spirit, wisdom, courage in the hearts of future generations. The enemy multiplied “Yerablur” without realizing that our strength, our heroism, our anger are stored there … Our will and determination to restore historical justice. I always return from “Yerablur” with my soul, feeling that enormous power in my body.

By GAYANE POGHOSYAN