“RAISE MONTE AS MY SON …”

I was looking for other stories. I should have written about the exploits of the commander of the reconnaissance squad Tatul Hakobyan … But I should present a most beautiful love story. Or rather, not me, but Tatul’s wife, Anahit. He will say that Tatul loved his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old son more than life, then he will tell how he sacrificed that love and his life consciously and willingly for the sake of the Homeland. He will say that Tatul was the happiest man in the world, then he will tell how he put that happiness on the table of salvation of the homeland…

– Tatul was from our parallel class, but he came to our class to be by my side. Everyone knew he loved me, it was impossible to hide, because Tatul was literally flooding me with attention, flowers, gifts, incredibly beautiful surprises. It was a girl’s set, oh, my stubbornness. And Tatul was even more persistent and fought for my love for seven years.

– Maybe Tatul did not look like your ideal man. He is said to have been modest and quiet, and girls are more likely to like eloquent and energetic men.

– Everyone loved Tatul. He had great charm, he was sociable, unobtrusive, kind, educated, he was immediately close to people. Tatul was tall and broad. He practiced judo for many years, won prestigious competitions and won medals. Tatul had extraordinarily large, bright, emotional eyes that immediately spoke to your heart.

Tatul did everything with all his heart, with dedication and devotion. He studied history, geography and military science well at school. Very good: He took the first place in the Republican Olympiad in Military Science.

He loved to tour Armenia, and you should have seen how comprehensively and in detail he knew the history of each of the sights of our country. When I asked him where he learned so much from, how he remembered, he said that instead of fairy tales I read encyclopedias and history books.

Tatul was brave and courageous. Years ago, in our city of Hrazdan, a man climbed the tallest chimney of a HPP to commit suicide. The chimney was 270 meters high, and even the rescuers did not dare to climb in the arms. Tatul was at the scene within minutes. It reached the top of the chimney in three and a half hours. It took him two hours to persuade the man to give up the idea of ​​committing suicide. Everyone knew that when they turned to Tatul, they would not be idle and called at the most inopportune hour. He never complained, and he answered my complaints briefly: what is the meaning of my life that I should not help people?

Tatul did everything beautifully. Each of her days was filled with many beautiful events that she organized for others. When he was in the army, I did not lack attention, because the bouquets, gifts and beautiful words he sent did not diminish. He proposed to me on the top of Aragats. My friends and I went hiking. Everyone but me knew the purpose of the campaign. Tatul was able to make everything a holiday, a beauty and an unforgettable event. My relatives said that after getting married the story would end, especially since Tatul had already served in the Armenian army and was always busy. But the opposite happened. The real fairy tale started after marriage. I lived with Tatul for three years of incredible happiness, filled with love, attention, care, flowers, surprises … This is how he addressed me, my daughter, and made my life a wonderful dream. When he said to get dressed, I came, I knew we were going somewhere, a cafe, a restaurant, a garden or any city … I fell in love with Tatul after marriage … Tatul was the core of my life, the meaning of my life … .

– I have been listening to you without interruption until now and I thought that thousands, maybe millions of women would dream of such love and such marriage. But how did Tatul manage to pay so much attention to you, because he was a military man and a commander of an intelligence detachment?

– He was going to work early in the morning, he woke up at 6 o’clock. I naturally woke up to see him, to see how he dressed, how he washed himself, but he was angry with me, forcing me to sleep, especially when Monte was already born. He said you took care of the baby all night, at least sleep now.

… At Tatul’s wish, we named our son Monte. He wanted to have many children, he dreamed of having Nzhdeh, Arabo, Sose … On ordinary days, when he was not doing his homework, he would return from service late in the evening. Then the fun began. We could spend hours wandering the city at night, spending time in a cafe, or staying home and chatting until 2-3 o’clock. I missed Tatul a lot. While he slept, I would sit by the bed and watch him for hours.

Ten days after Monteis was born, Tatul was sent abroad. Even the distance could not divide us. He called every day, saw his son, talked to me, learned all the details. He sent me various gifts and … flowers through his friends.

Issue: When he was at home, playing on the ground with Monte, he laughed and had fun like a child.

– Did he tell about the service?

– No, he did not say anything even during his term service, I learned from others that he repulsed a sabotage operation and received diplomas. And when we got married, he was the commander of an intelligence squad, and if he had to be in the military unit at night or not come home for a few weeks, he would say that I would do a task. That much. Task: But I realized that these tasks were dangerous, because before each task he would give me a wedding ring and a gold chain, reminding me of bank card codes. When I started to get excited, he said that when a person dies, he should die like a hero so that his son would be proud of him.

… Days before the war, Tatul was given a vacation for the first time, and he decided to make his dream come true. On September 19, Tatul and Monte and I traveled around Armenia for about a week, visiting different places and spending the night in a hotel. We were so happy, our joy was so boundless that one day, against my will, I said that this happiness is so great that it will swallow one of us. I even cried…

On September 26, Tatul was called to the military unit with an alarm. The next day I learned from the Internet that a war had broken out. … Then I experienced the most horrible days of my life. 22 days. Tatul died on October 19.

– Have you been told how Tatul died?

– The day before, on the evening of October 18, he wrote me a letter: I love you more than my life. On the morning of October 19, he said on the phone that if something happened to me, you would raise Monteis, my son. I spent the night at my parents’ house that day. My mother kept my phone so that I would not log in to Facebook, as Tatul’s photos had already been spread on the Internet. The next morning, our people said that Tatul was seriously injured. Then they said that the situation was very difficult. I had fainted several times before when Tatul called late, our people were afraid to tell me the truth. Then I decided to go to our house. I saw from a distance that the entrance light was on during the day … And the light is turned on when there is a dead body at the entrance … I lost the ability to speak for a month and could not move my legs. I was injected with some medicine, after which I looked at the photos of myself and Tatul and did not feel anything. No pain, no longing … I understood that it was an unnatural condition, and I refused medication to walk through the pain and be able to live …

– Tatul died heroically.

– I was told that the commander presented the task to a group of 200 people, saying that we should help the boys in the blockade. And he asked who wants to take part in the operation, where the probability of getting out alive is 10%. Tatul was the first to say “I will go”, then he was followed by his closest friends – Hamlet, Vova, Seryog, Ashot, Manuk, driver Melik. They say that when Tatul gets in the car, he calls his comrade-in-arms at the last moment, if I do not come back, you will take good care of my son …

… Tatul once said, I want to be written about in a school textbook and my son and his classmate read about me. I can imagine my son being so proud that the lesson is about his father. My son and I were more precious than his life, but the Homeland was more precious than his life and ours. And he wanted to die a heroic death. And it happened … as he wished.

And now I’m writing a book about Tatul, we’re making a documentary, we’re going to have a big event on July 9, his birthday. … When my son misses his father at every step, I will fill that gap with boundless pride. I will teach my son that his father was the best father in the world, and the honor he left us can not be compared to anything.

GAYANE POGHOSYAN