Nineteen-year-old Artur Aramayis Mirzoyan of Ashotsk, who died during the Artsakh war and was awarded the Military Service medal at the order of the President of Artsakh, refused to be an honor guard in Yerevan when he joined the army. His mother, Eterina Karapetyan, said that her son was tall, so they suggested that he stay in Yerevan to join the honor guard, but he adamantly refused, saying, “Soldiers need to serve in Artsakh.”
Artur was studying veterinary medicine, but he was considering moving to another country and producing weapons. His mother said that her son had a flexible mind, and he committed his times tables to memory at the age of five.
Artur died on the morning of October 26th. He was able to save his friend’s life. His friend, although blind, was saved thanks to him. Artur participated in intense battles in Mataghis.
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Eterina Karapetyan’s sons are both symbols of heroism. Legends are told in Ashotsk about the heroism of her older son. He was so courageous, daring, and such a great fighter that he was able to rescue one of his soldiers from terrorists. Eterina is proud to have given birth to such heroes for the Armenian nation. Unfortunately, her younger son, Artur, died in war.
“Both of my sons were on the battlefield right from when the war began in the most intense parts. One was in Hadrut and the other was in Mataghis. They transferred Artur to Jabrayil, and after his swearing-in ceremony, they transferred him to Stepanakert to serve in the honor guard. He was tall; he was 1.9 meters. After serving for six months, he was transferred to Mataghis. He was able to gain the respect of his friends, the officers, and the staff. He was funny, but he was also a soldier who had experienced all kinds of difficulties. To have sons serving in two of the most intense areas of the war says everything; a person needs to have a lot of will and patience to deal with that. When the attacks were in the north, my one son was in Mataghis, and when the attacks were in the south, my other son was in Hadrut. Thank God, I raised the kind of boys who were there to become heroes,” the mother said proudly.
Artur Mirzoyan was given the rank of a lieutenant at 19 years old, and when his mother suggested that he leave as soon as possible and return home, Artur said, “Mom, all of these soldiers are looking up to me. They didn’t give me this rank for no reason. I must serve with honor.” He carried out his service with honor, and he was able to get his unit to safety.
The mother said that her son died from a small fragment of a projectile despite the fact that he was wearing a double-sided vest. However, the fragments got in under his arms. He died while saving his friend’s life. When her son called one time, she heard the sounds of projectiles. Although she is proud that she gave birth to such heroes, she said that time will never heal her wounds.
“My pride aside, this sense of longing is a sense of doom. No mother can ever come to terms with this grief, ever… They say that time heals all wounds, but that’s not true. A terrible sense of longing comes with time. Whenever I look at his picture and whenever I eat, I remember my son. I have to be strong as a mother for my other son and to serve as an example for many people,” the hero’s mother said.
The governor of the Shirak Province, Hovhannes Harutyunyan, presented the hero’s mother with the Military Service medal, which the President of Artsakh had awarded to the hero posthumously.
The hero was laid to rest at the military pantheon in Ashotsk.
Nune Arevshatyan
