THE DEDICATED ONE

He was just, simple and straightforward, a light boy, ready to help everyone, he would never reject anyone, at any time of the day, he would rush to help, it was a walking kindness. This is how those who know Garik Gapoyan, who died heroically in the last war, describe it.

Garik is from Karmirgyugh, Gegharkunik region, he loved their village very much, he had been to Russia several times for work, but he was always in a hurry to return. He used to say that there is no better place in the world than Karmirgyugh, there is no happiness outside the native building. Let’s create on the edge of the homeland. He and his friend had set up a window factory and they were doing their job.

Life went on as usual, he got married, started a family, had a son. Garik was cheerful, his humor was inexhaustible, he created a mood. Sometimes he would put a thousand drams on the table and warn with a joke. “Don’t waste this money.”

Garik was a caring husband, a pious child, and his son Gor was his whole world. Little Gor was having fun all day, turning the house with a toy gun into a real battlefield, but when his father came home from work, he hugged his father and spent the rest of the day so smart and peaceful, as if he was not the mischievous one … Happiness and warmth from every corner of the hearth was dripping …

However, the war disrupted the normal rhythm of life, the war entered houses and buildings, destroyed houses, destroyed people’s hearts.

Garik also went to the front line. He could not sit still when the peace of the land was endangered. No matter how much the woman and her parents tried to resist, they could not hold back.

“Garik studied excellently, he liked to read historical books since his school years, then we discussed the heroes together, he also loved literature, he adored Sevak’s poetry, sometimes he recited.

This poem by Sevak seemed to be his way of life, his belief,” his mother recalls the bright memories of the past and came to the sad present. “I had no doubt that Garik would go to the front, but with one last hope I asked him to stay.”

“Mom, you forbid me to go, stop talking about patriotism …”

“Well, you have a son, and your wife is expecting a baby,” I tried to use the last strong argument. He countered with a stronger argument.

“I am going so that my son does not have to, I am going so that this fight will end with us and our children will not see the horror of the war.

***

The battles were getting hotter and hotter, the enemy did not seem to fire from any caliber weapon, the shells exploded all around, taking countless human lives.

On October 18, Garik’s wife, Arpine, had seen her husband in a dream, a kind of unnatural shrinkage. He asked, “Gar, how did that happen? You came so early.” ..

It was on October 18 that the hero was immortalized.

***

“Some time after Garik died, the commander called,” says his father, Ruben. “He was wounded in the war. He called me right after he was discharged from the hospital. He said, ‘Be proud, father, your son is a hero, he fought fearlessly, bravely, there was not a hint of fear in his heart and soul. He realized that he might not survive, but he moved forward without hesitation, he performed great feats …”

Commander Vahram Militonyan speaks with unfounded pride about his comrades-in-arms. “All our boys fought selflessly. We were still close at the training camp, Garik would come with the guys, he would say what to do, how to help, and they were helping to fill out documents, they were in a hurry to get to the battlefield hours ago. There were real lions on the battlefield …

Garik asked, “Commander, tell me not to take out the wounded, I want to fight.” He replaced the commander of the killed platoon, Nver Hovsepyan. At the border of life and death, death before every moment, Garik was improving his military knowledge, learning Grad, thoroughly analyzing the omissions and advantages during the hostilities, trying to correct the observed shortcomings …

He took every word as an order, he loved order in everything. The blast wave had flown him three meters, the new uniform was waving diligently and joking.

When I lost consciousness after being wounded on the battlefield, the boys told me that Garik had cried like a child, saying, “Let’s persuade the commander not to die.” Simple and direct Garik believed that when you want something very much, it happens … Unfortunately, I could not be by his side at the last moment, maybe I could convince him …

I am delighted that we have such strong, dedicated heroes, and it is unspeakably painful that they are no longer with us … ”

***

Garik went to war without knowing the gender of the second child, but said that if a girl was born, you would definitely name her Mariam.

It was a precaution, he also died in Mariamadzor…

Recently, Garik’s daughter was born.

Little Mariam did not see her father, but she will still hear a lot about the hero father …

By ALIS ALAVERDYAN

Photos by AREG VARDANYAN