On November 30, 2020, as part of Iravaban.net‘s “Immortal Victims of the Artsakh War” series, we told the story of Gevorg Javakhyan, known as “Golden Gev.” The war had just ended, and it was difficult for relatives and parents to talk about Gev’s loss. Friends told us about the fearless tank operator of the Artsakh war.
Four years after the war, Gevorg’s sister Seda Javakhyan and mother Narine Aleksanyan gave birth to sons, both named Gevorg. This time, the mother and sister share stories about the elder and younger Georgs.
The Javakhyan family’s long-awaited son was born on May 3, 2001. The name had been decided long ago – he was to be Gevorg.
Music and cinema were the tank operator’s favorite pursuits, and he was confident that he would become famous so that everyone would hear his name one day.
“His music was very incomprehensible to me. He always said that all stars had been involved in it. I was forced to start listening to it with him, but I couldn’t understand how he could make sounds with his mouth and earn money. He started having concerts, participating in competitions, and earning money. But I thought that wasn’t his future. Then he received an offer from Vache Tovmasyan and appeared in the ‘Golden School’ series. Every time he was supposed to appear for a few seconds, he would gather all of us to watch. I would say, ‘Oh, Gevorg, you just said one sentence,’ and he would respond, ‘Even Karp Khachvankyan didn’t start with leading roles right away, it’s step by step,'” recalls his mother.
Although Gevorg was an artistic person, he eagerly awaited his military service. His mother had always feared the thought of her son going to the army. The farewell was particularly difficult for her. She couldn’t imagine herself without her son: “It was like something was being torn away from me. It wasn’t just a feeling – I couldn’t imagine how I would live without him for 2 years.”
On September 20, 2020, Gevorg’s sister Seda got married, but before she could enjoy the happiness of her newly created family, she heard the news of war.
“We immediately came to our house. I called Gev, he didn’t answer, then he called back saying, ‘Why are you all worried? Everything is fine,'” tells his sister.
During the war days, Gevorg often spoke with relatives, never showing that he was on the battlefield in difficult conditions. Only a few times did he mention that stone made quite a soft pillow. After the war, his fellow servicemen told about the days they went through.
Gevorg never abandoned tank number 055. On October 26, he was standing next to the tank when the enemy targeted and struck with a drone. Gevorg was severely wounded. He was transported to Yerevan, but his parents and relatives had difficulty finding him. He was in a coma. When his mother asked if her son would live, the doctor responded, “No, he won’t live.”
Narine Aleksanyan says it was very difficult for her to make the decision to give new life again, to have a child and continue living. And Seda, after losing her brother, was able to get pregnant with great difficulty after 4 years. Initially, they said she would have a girl, but later it turned out she would have a son too. The Georgs were born a few days apart.
Mrs. Narine’s urging is to give birth to many boys.
Details in the video.
Hasmik Sargsyan
