The Soldier Watering a Tree in the Trench Has Been in the Intensive Care Unit for 17 Days

The soldier known from the famous photo of watering a tree in the trenches comes from the village of Mets Sepasar in the Shirak region. Karo Poghosyan was injured in one of the heavy battles, as reported by Facebook user Alex Sargsyan.

The photo of the soldier watering a small branch in the trenches, which spread across the internet, has received numerous positive reactions in recent days. Thousands of users posted it on their pages, considering it one of the symbolic images of our modern war. The 26-year-old Karo Poghosyan is a soldier of the National Security Service's border troops and comes from the village of Mets Sepasar in the Shirak region. He is currently injured and is in the intensive care unit of the National Burn Center. This was announced by Karo's mother, Shoghik Sogoyan.

"My son has been in the intensive care unit for 17 days now. He had multiple fractures; he was first transported from Artsakh to Astghik Medical Center, where he underwent surgery, and then he was moved to the burn center's intensive care unit. Thanks to our heroic doctors, Karo is recovering now," says Ms. Shoghik.

Karo has been at the front line since September 27. On October 19, while returning from the positions, their vehicle was bombed, and Karo miraculously survived.

"My son survived by a miracle. Honestly, I haven't been able to talk to him yet to understand how it happened. His cousin from Ashotzk was also in the same vehicle, who died, but Karo is unaware of it, he doesn't even know about the deaths of his other comrades. It was a terrible incident; I was anxious that day. We learned about the event on the evening of October 20 and rushed to Yerevan," Ms. Shoghik recalls, visibly upset.

Karo is the only male child in the family and has three older sisters. He wanted to serve in the border troops himself, has a great love for the military profession, and has been serving in the border troops for five years. They never thought his photo would spread so quickly on the internet. After the incident, one of Karo's comrades posted it online, and it was unexpected for Ms. Shoghik to see her son’s photo circulating.

"I saw it by chance; I cried and was happy that my child survived that explosion. As far as I know, his friends took the photo while they were in combat actions in the trenches. It probably became a symbolic photo for my son. That little branch he is watering in the dry ground gives life and now signifies the beginning of his new life. My child was reborn, just like that fragile tree branch wanting to live in the dust," recalls Ms. Shoghik with emotion.

Everyone at the medical facility, including all the doctors and nurses, know that the soldier in the famous photo is currently being treated there. "Everyone knows that it is Karo in that photo. Today we asked the doctor to bring his phone to talk to my son. My daughter told Karo that the photo had instantly gone viral and received many positive comments from our people. Karo listened and said that even among my burns and pains, you found time to spread the photo and comments. Then he smiled and said that everything would be fine; we will definitely win," says Shoghik Sogoyan.

Karo Poghosyan will undergo a prolonged treatment course and will return home after recovery. According to his mother, he will likely continue his service if his health permits.