EVEN STRONGER IN SPIRIT AND WILL

The next conscription will end soon. The last groups of recruits, after undergoing a medical examination, leave for the republican military base, from where, as usual, the military units assigned to them will be drawn by lot.

The relatives of the conscripts have already gathered near the building of the conscription territorial subdivision. They talk to their new soldiers, and before leaving for the army, the advice and best wishes to their children do not end.

Father Grisha, the guard, warms the recruits with his horse and their family members gathered in the yard. “Do you want cold water? Dear children, drink it, then go inside,” our film crew of “Zinuzh” entering the gate also gets his attention. Early in the morning, the heat is already felt, and Grisha’s father pumped the cold water from a nearby spring to the gate. “There is no fountain nearby. I brought our conscripts and parents-relatives not to be thirsty. “Boy, do you want cold water?”

I approach the first family grouped around their conscript. The boy is impatient, cheerful, his high spirits are passed on to family members. “Eduard Harutyunyan,” he says vigorously. It is strong and sturdy. “Do you do sports?” “Yes, Kickboxing Parkour. I have been engaged since childhood. I love these sports very much. ”

“In fact, you are physically fit. And with what thoughts, with what feelings do you go to the service? ” “Without special consideration. It’s my duty … I was 17 years old when the war started. In the very first days I went to the military commissariat, I asked them to take me too. Three of my serving friends died. “Both of them were seriously injured. I wanted to help them, to stand by them. But they did not succeed.”

Edward lived in Russia with his parents for eight years. It worked. It has been two years since he returned to Armenia, he was registered so that he could leave for service when the time comes. The mother, Hermine Grigoryan, looks at her son with pride. “She is very excited and happy to leave. Of course, there is anxiety in all of us, the situation is not so clear and predictable. But we trust our son. Let our boys go and come back safe and sound. May God be with all our soldiers. We will greet them only with tears of joy. “Eduard’s father, Telman Harutyunyan, speaks with pride. “Today I am not the father of the future, but the father of an actual soldier. I am very proud. All parents should be proud that their son is leaving for the ministry. The boy must serve. Of course, we all want our country to be peaceful and our boys to serve in peace. ” Then he turns to his son. “As we say goodbye to you today, serve with the same energy, joy, song, spirit and come back with friends. We, the fathers, will always be behind you at all times during this period. ” “Let everyone go, serve well, defend our Homeland and come back safely,” Eduard concludes, his parents say. We have to defend. ”

I am approaching another group. Standing with boys of the same age, they say goodbye to their conscript friend Vahan Kochkanyan. One of his friends, Alex Sargsyan, is a participant in the last war. He was a miner, took part in the battles in the direction of Martakert and Martuni. At the end of the war he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and received a “Combat Service” medal. “For the enemy, it was mostly ‘remote control,'” says Alex. “It was incomparably more difficult for us to fight, but we did it with honor.” Alex advised his conscript friend, Vahan, to serve with devotion, not to be depressed by anything and under any circumstances, always to keep the spirit high. “Everything will be OK: This is a test for a man that must be overcome with honor. “According to Alex, the war was the most serious test of his life, in which he wants to see something good. “If you have gone through these trials, no other problem in life can bother you. All problems will be easily solved. ”

There are servicemen among the relatives of conscript Vahan Kochkanyan. So, apart from a friend who went through battles, he is not only familiar with military service from an early age. Vahan is a technician-mechanic by profession. “Robots, stands,” explains the young man. “Drone?” “It is also part of my profession. … When Alex was at war, as they say, we were all on thorns. As soon as it was possible, we were informed about the situation by phone. “Alex fought very hard during the war, very much,” Vahan is openly proud of his friend.

The other recruit I meet, David Gorgyan, is a software engineer by profession. He graduated with honors from YSU and applied for one-year officer training, after which he will serve in the army for two years as an officer. “In this way, I am sure, my benefit to the army will be much greater, professional education my knowledge will be used more correctly. I want to become an air defense specialist, for whom the skill of making calculations, as we know, is a priority. ” The exam is ahead, which will allow David to enter his preferred military training institution. “It will be a great honor for me to serve as an officer. I felt useless during the war. I have dead friends Most of my serving friends have already returned from service. We did not provoke this war, but we must win. No despair. We should not be afraid of war, let them be afraid. ”

The young people take turns undergoing a preliminary medical examination at the military commissariat, all their documentary questions are clarified, after which they are taken by bus to the republican military base. Relatives are already waiting at the gate. When the buses full of soldiers leave the yard of the building, everyone says goodbye to the conscripts, the heroes of the day. Grisha’s father has already prepared the water: tradition must be kept. It spills water from the bus. “Welcome, welcome, dear boys.”

Everything is going well in the Republican team. Conscripts go through all the necessary stages in turn, from medical examination, fluorographic examination to receipt of license plates, on which the nature of their further service is indicated in appropriate letters. During this time, delicious and nutritious dishes are prepared for them in the canteen of the team.

The chairman of the medical commission of the Republican National Assembly, Colonel Daniel Mkrtchyan, a distinguished doctor, who coordinated the work of the field hospital during the 44-day war, saved the lives of many fighters, today in peaceful conditions, carefully organizes the medical examination of conscripts. We learn from him about the process and results of the medical service.

“The medical commission of the Republican National Assembly has two main tasks,” says the doctor. We are now carrying out more work to detect coronavirus infection in particular. Upon arrival at the training camp, the conscripts are thermometed, given a primary medical examination, and a blood sample is taken to perform a quantitative test for coronavirus antibodies, which gives an idea of ​​what percentage of conscripts are present, that is, what percentage are already ill. We determine how dangerous the coronavirus infection is to our army from an epidemic point of view. The results have not been finalized yet, but overall it can be stated that more than 70% of conscripts have already been infected with the coronavirus and have recovered. In other words, it can be stated that the troops are far from the danger of being a mass source of this infection. Of course, the troops are also instructed in the coronavirus infection, the individual cases that may be registered in the future can be extinguished very quickly, which is very important in terms of organizing our military medical service.

The next important function performed by the military medical commission is the primary examination. Compilation of data from complaints in personal files, ensuring the completeness of the necessary tests, detailed examination of health-related diseases that determine the degree of fitness. The ultimate goal is to have a clear picture of whether a conscript is eligible for military service or not. If serious health problems are found, appropriate tests will be performed. However, it should be noted that, as a rule, sick conscripts do not reach the base. Here we are already accepting conscripts who are practically fit for service, possibly with some restrictions. It should be noted that the overall picture of this conscription is positive, it is a “healthy” conscription.

Let me say that every doctor is also a psychologist. While working with the conscripts, I noticed that the moral and psychological condition of the boys, their attitude towards service is very high. They are militant and strong in spirit. There are conscripts who lost relatives and friends in the last war. “Especially they leave for the troops with greater readiness and awareness.”

Before going through the regular stage of the procedure in the team, the boys get acquainted with the short breaks, share their impressions and thoughts about that day. One of the officers accompanying them points to one of the boys. “He is a very good athlete, a strong boy.” It is Henry Karapetyan. Henry graduated from the State College of Culture and Arts with a degree in directing. It is solid, strong. He has been involved in sports since he was a child. I want to know his opinion about his first impressions from the conscription, from the conscript boys. “It is a close environment. All of us already. We can say that we became one. All the guys are very good from the first impression. I am in a very good mood today. There is a little tension, but it is only a tension of waiting, curiosity. “I am in a fighting mood,” says the young man. “In the first days of the war, my college friends Gor and Aren were killed.” It was our first heavy loss… And it’s not even possible whether we knew it personally or not, all our losses were heavy for all of us. During that time, because I was not in the ministry, I helped from behind. With our group of actors and directors, on North Avenue we collected cigarettes, warm clothes, necessary accessories, made them, then took them to the theater, and from there, if necessary, to different directions of the front. We helped our compatriots from Artsakh as much as possible. Now we will be useful to the Homeland with our service. It is a great honor to serve. ” “What is the Homeland for you?” “Everything: The homeland is your parent, your friend, our collective strength, the potential from which you are nourished, with which you live and look forward… I would very much like our state, our homeland to get out of this situation, and I am sure we will get out. “Let each of us take responsibility, at least help with a penny, and I am sure that our Homeland will regain its strength and its former power.”

That day, as much as possible, we got to know our conscripts. The first impression is very positive. We can be sure that the guys of this conscription are even stronger in spirit and will.

By KNAR TADEVOSYAN

Photos by AREG VARDANYAN