Major Mesrop Vardanyan, who fell in Shushi during the second Artsakh war as he was saving his soldiers, would have turned 31 on March 13th. The hero’s wife, Varsuhi Shmkhalyan, told Aravot Daily in an interview that the family was presented with the First Order of the Battle Cross and the Medal of Courage at the Lernantsk village school in the Lori Province. Lernantsk was her husband’s birthplace, and Mesrop was one of the best students at the school.
“The school organized an event where they named a classroom after Mesrop. That is why I decided for the medal to be presented that day. The military base’s deputy of the moral and psychological department and some of Mesrop’s friends came. The village leader, Levik Abgaryan, was also present. The children also organized a nice event,” Varsuhi said. She added that her father-in-law, who worked at the Lernantsk village school for many years, is preparing to appeal to the regional administration to name the school after his son.
Varsuhi also spoke about the memories of her husband’s friends in combat and soldiers. She said that they all emphasize the fact that Mesrop Vardanyan was a unique soldier and person. She also spoke about one of her husband’s soldiers from Gyumri, Seyran Yaylakhanyan, who is a blogger. “Mesrop always praised his soldiers, especially since they were educated and well-rounded children. He said that his soldiers were very smart. After Mesrop died, Seyran got into contact with us. We maintain that contact.”
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Varsuhi remembers that her husband had a healthy lifestyle, but he started to smoke during the war. He also smoked during the April War of 2016, but he stopped afterwards.
“A few days after this war began, he called me and said, ‘Varsik, you know, I’ve started to smoke.’ I joked and said, ‘Smoke, do whatever you want, you can even cheat on me, just so long as the war ends, we win, and you come home…’ The soldiers remember my husband as a kind but strict soldier. He loved his soldiers like his own children. He was able to talk to his soldiers for hours in the same way he spoke with his own children,” Varsuhi said.
Their older son participated in the event at the Lernantsk village school. He will be 6 in June. “He said, ‘Mom, give it to me, I will hold Dad’s medal.’ That was the first time he lit frankincense, too,” the hero’s wife said.
She remembered how her husband would call every day from the battlefield to ask if their younger son, Abel, started to talk yet. The baby has started to talk, and he is able to say a few words. But, sadly, his dad won’t ever hear his little voice.
Gohar Hakobyan
