“He was brave, strong, daring, and spirited. He always fought in the best mood. When he finished his compulsory service, he filled out an application to become an officer. He was very patriotic and not at all scared. If there is anyone who is manly and brave, it was our Mihran. He didn’t think about anything else besides carrying out his combat duties,” Mihran Avdalyan’s cousin, Aramayis Avdalyan, told Aravot Daily. Mihran Avdalyan was a senior lieutenant who received the second-class Order of the Combat Cross medal.
He was awarded the medal on October 8th at the order of President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan for taking back a military position and saving 7 soldiers from being surrounded. The day after he received the medal, the terrible news about his death came.
“We spoke to him every day when he was taking a break. We also spoke to him on the last day. He said that we need to live in our homeland in peace, and finally be free and independent. He carried out so many other heroic deeds; that was just one of them, which is why he received the medal. He received the rank of senior lieutenant and the medal, and he died the next day from shelling. They couldn’t defeat him on the battlefield; a projectile fell and he…” Aramayis Avdalyan said.
Photo from Ani Margaryans’s FB
One of Mihran’s children is 2.5 years old. The other was born during the war. He was named Robert after Hero of Artsakh Robert Abajyan. “That was what he wanted; he wanted his son to be named Robert. He never saw his newborn son- he only saw pictures. His wife and family members can’t believe that Mihran is gone. They still think he’s fighting…”
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Mihran’s family lived in Mataghis. They were forced to leave during the first days of the war. “They are from the Janfida village of the Armavir Province. They went to Mataghis because that is where Mihran was serving. They went to be with Mihran. Janfida is a village of patriotic Armenians. It passed onto Mihran in his genes. His father was also a soldier, and our grandfather died during World War II. It was impossible for Mihran to not have become a soldier.”
When asked what plans and goals Mihran had for the future, Aramayis responded, “When he already received his rank and the Combat Cross, he said that he would win the war, become a Hero of Artsakh, and return to Armenia with his family so he could serve in peace. He didn’t want anything materialistically. We would rebuke him for that, but he would say, ‘Everything’s fake, your wealth is your children. I need to have many children and name them after heroes.’”
Mihran Avdalyan was a brave soldier. He would always go first when he carried out any combat duties, saying, “Let me go, I’ll do it.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
