Avetik Isahakian – I see the Araratian country, the Armenian people are strong, bright, powerful: they create, fights, live…

Mayis Avetisyan (Alazan Mayis) since the early days of the Movement for the Liberation actively participated in the defense of the NKR Berdadzor village, was in the villages Eraskhavan, Khachik, Voskepar, helped to organize the defense.

Chairman of the RA Veterans Association Council retired colonel Simon Yesayan told that if on the 65th anniversary of the Victory there were 3,500 Great Patriotic War veterans in Armenia, today there are 950. “They are legends, let’s them evaluate and honour adequately”.

Voronezh journalist Valentin Kotyukh approached us with the request – to provide data about the pilot, the commander of the fighter, Junior Lieutenant Artyusha Ohanjanyan who died heroically near Voronezh on July 8, 1942, directing his burning plane in a concentration of enemy tanks.

It was the 22nd, or 23rd January, 1993. Two Azerbaijani helicopters opened fire in the direction of the church “Yerits mankunq”, they thought we have hidden there. From the dome the huge cross fell down and broke. The commander of our Special forces group Shahen Meghryan said that we need to restore the cross. And there we all gave word that we’ll set up the cross on its place. Before departure I photographed all of them, and the war took us to different roads.

In the 1990s there was a very serious situation in Armenia and Artsakh. Everywhere spontaneously volunteer corps were created, but their individual actions were not very effective. Young authorities decided to unite all these groups as part of a military unit, under one command. About 30 platoons were merged, Colonel Sergey Arakelyan was appointed commander. With some difficulty, but the authorities managed to obtain weapons and ammunition. In resolving these important questions a lot of work was done by the then Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Grigor Grigoryan.

I knew Colonel General Gurgen Dalibaltayan in the years of service in the Soviet army. He was a classical Military: reserved, taciturn, without pathos and virtuosity, extremely hard-working, selfless and dedicated. He was the kind of person who loves his country without words, avoids demonstration of that. However, under the cool, level-headed, unemotional man the infinitely loving heart to his homeland was concealed.