At the beginning of the 44-day war, Gor Vardanyan was a conscript for only 2 months and 3 days. 103 days after his death, his body was found through DNA examination. Gor’s mother, however, still believes in miracles and continues to call the boys of her son’s military unit to ask if there is any news from him.
The mother, Hermine Zakaryan, says that, on the very first day of the war, Gor’s father and uncle left for Artsakh. “They registered so that they could go to my son. He said, ‘Grandpa, don’t come here, everything is fine.’ When they left, Gor was already at the forefront. They did not see each other. The communications there were very bad, the [cellphone] battery was constantly discharged and he could not make calls. Once or twice a day, he would call and ask: ‘How are you? How is dad? Here, everything is normal?’ He did not tell us anything. He was telling us to be calm: ‘I’m fine; if I do not call, do not worry’. He last called on October 2. It was around 11:30 – 12:00. He called and asked about his father.”
Speaking about what is known on the circumstances of Gor’s death, Mrs. Hermine said: “They say he was in the bunker. A drone was thrown in that part. There are snapshots… His father is convinced that he died, but I’m still waiting… What is found is a part of the body; I hope that somewhere his heart beats. Then I think perhaps he lost his memory; he has gone to someone’s house and is being kept there.”
After her husband returned from the war, she could not believe to her own eyes that he had really returned safe and sound. “He went through all that and saw everything with his own eyes. He was not told, he did not hear: he saw the situation there, by himself, in the hottest places of the war, with his own eyes,” said the mother of the dead soldier.
Gor’s sister, 17-year-old Goharik, found out about her brother’s death by seeing his name on the list of victims. She says she does not remember anything from that day on. “I just saw the name Gor. I did not even look at the last name. And I understood… Then there were boys who said they saw him. There was hope that this was a lie. One can talk endlessly about Gor. He was ideal. An ideal son, friend, brother. Even his name was ideal… He thought of everyone except himself. He worked three places, did not sleep at nights, said the days were short, he had to accomplish everything.”
Goharik says that she is very sorry not only for the death of her brother, but also for the death of thousands of boys. “I am always waiting, but I realize what happened. The war took away Gor’s body, but he lives with me… I can feel it. “
Ani Gevorgyan