It has been three days since women started volunteering to join the military effort led by an OMON Council member of the Special Forces Detachment, Lieutenant Colonel Marine Ayrumyan. As of 1:00 PM Thursday, 193 women enrolled. Young girls and women stand by the doors and wait to go to the frontlines. When they find out that they are not old enough or they cannot go for other reasons, the women leave in tears.
A 25-year-old macroeconomist, Christine Kryan, came to volunteer without informing her family members. She had recently gotten married and does not have any children yet. But since her father and husband have volunteered, she quickly decided that she would not stay behind. “To be honest, I did tell my family members since the first day that I am going to enroll as a volunteer, but they didn’t take me seriously. They told me to stay home because this isn’t the time, and when the time comes, I would go. But since both my father and my husband have enrolled, they don’t know about this, but do they think they can volunteer and I can’t? Of course, because I am prepared to serve my country and my people until the end of my life.”
When asked what motivated her to do this, she immediately responded, “My honor. My honor includes my home and the desire to protect the people I love.”
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According to her, “I came to join the effort because I know that I can’t sit home in Yerevan and watch how men and women are defending our Motherland at the cost of their lives. I truly want to participate in some way.”
When asked if she had any experience or skills in firing weapons, she said, “I do not, but I hope that I will. But I have some skills that will benefit me. I have an idea of what I am supposed to do, but I don’t want to open up. I believe that I can do it.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
