People visiting the Yerablur Military Pantheon today experienced mixed feelings; they were proud and depressed at a time.
Anahit Sargsyan was celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Armenian Armed Forces at the grave of her 20-year-old son Serob Haneyan. The mother learnt about her son's intention to go to Artsakh on the phone.
"Mom, I have a surprise for you: your son is a soldier! The phone fell out of my hand," recalls the desperate mother.
Together with his two friends, Serob fought for the liberation of the Lachin Corridor, a mountain pass connecting Armenia with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
Mrs Anahit later learnt that the three did not obey the command and did not ‘retreat.' They fought to the bitter end and eventually opened the humanitarian corridor.
"When they sat down to celebrate the victory they were killed in a hail of bullets. My son died on the spot," tells the mother.
20-year-old Edward Martirosyan went to Martakert without his parents' knowledge.
"My dear ones, you do not know what's going on there! This is our land, I have to go ... And he left without telling us," says Edward's father Rafik Martirosyan, who came to his son's grave with his grandchildren.
One of the children bears the name of his fallen uncle.
