Stepa Grandpa Secretly Left for Artsakh

Even the elderly are heading to war... This was the case during the Artsakh liberation struggle of the 1990s, it was the same during the April 2016 war days, and now.

The story and photo of 73-year-old Stepa Zakaryan from Gyumri became known on the internet during these wartime periods. He just returned to Gyumri from the hottest front line without his will.

We met the 73-year-old volunteer soldier at his home. "I put my shorts here, in case of an extreme situation, if I need to run again; it has become normal for me. This is my uniform, this is my hat, and these are my pants," Stepa Grandpa told shantnews.am.

He returned from the battlefield and has shaved himself with military discipline, but he is still waiting to go back to the fight. He says this time he begged a lot to be taken to Artsakh with the volunteers.

"This time I ran away again, I asked our President Nikoyan to write me in, but he said, 'Stepa, we can’t take anyone over 70.' I said, 'You write me in, I will go there, and I’ll answer why I came,'" Stepa Zakaryan recounted.

Forced to add his name to the list of volunteers, he was already at the front lines on September 28. His family only learned he was in Artsakh from a photo taken in the war zone.

The photo received dozens of encouraging comments online, posted by the injured soldier whom the 73-year-old volunteer had transported to a military hospital.

One of the generals was surprised by the presence of the 73-year-old soldier in the trench and advised him to return home, but Stepa Grandpa stayed beside the boys.

"The general asked me how old I am; I said 73. He asked why I came and who brought me. I replied, 'I came with my squad.' He said, 'You know that you aren’t allowed.' I said, 'I know, but even one soldier on the battlefield is a big deal,'" Stepa Zakaryan told the media.

For 14 days, he was in the positions with the soldiers, encouraging them as he would his two sons, who are currently at the front lines and serve as contract soldiers. However, he did not meet his sons at the border.

It was the same during the April war; father and sons fought in different positions.

"I taught them to defend their homeland; if they can, why can’t I? My grandfather used to say, 'Dear boy, it’s better to die with a gun on your shoulder than to become a slave to the enemy; that’s the most disgraceful thing for a Armenian,'" Stepa Grandpa says and adds, "If they try to flee, they wouldn’t turn back; you won’t even catch up from behind. The cat on the doorstep is mighty; it will feel the elephant; that’s how they are. Our soldier is stronger than their ten soldiers."