- Where is the house of the hero David?

- At the end of the village. There is a modest house there. That’s our David's house.

In Sardarapat, a community in Armenia’s Armavir Province, we found the house of Davit Grigoryan, who was awarded the high title of "Hero of Artsakh" by Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan.

Private David Grigoryan destroyed fifteen Azerbaijani tanks and one combat vehicle recently in the ongoing fighting along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border.

David's sister's two-month-old cousin was at home, and David was looking forward to his birth. David's mother, Susan Grigoryan, soon arrived. She welcomed us, in a low voice, and came forward. Ever since the news of David's feat was published yesterday in the Armenian media, there has been no shortage of guests in the house. Mrs. Grigoryan had gone to the store to buy more pastries for the well wishers who continue to arrive.

She tells us about her conflicting feelings when she heard the news about her son’s award. She is proud but not happy. She does not want the children of other parents to go experience the war. She realizes, however, that Armenians must fight on and not give up.

Mrs. Grigoryan says that she learned that her son was serving on the frontline and had been awarded the title of hero via the TV. She believed her son was serving somewhere behind the front. This comforted her to a degree. She says David never had a love for weapons and that he was not interested in military affairs. His heroism came as a surprise to her and other relatives. 

“I knew he was taking part in the battles, but I thought he was on the second or third line. I did not ask him at all, because he does not talk about it, he does not say where he is, what he does. I only learnt that Davit has at the front when he was given the title of hero," said Mrs. Grigoryan, adding that her son had told his sisters that he was serving in the rear to keep calm.

David called home once a day, talking to his mother. He would end the conversation after conveying a few reassuring words.  

"I heard about David on TV. I thought there must be another last name and patronymic. I did not think it was about David Lyova Grigoryan. It was an indescribable feeling at that moment. Everything was mixed - the joy, the pride, and somewhere the sadness that he is at the front," says Ms. Grigoryan.

She urges all mothers to pray and be proud that their children who are defending the homeland.

David is the only son in the family. He has two sisters. He’s scheduled to be discharged from the army in three months. Everyone at home waits for that day

The Hero of Artsakh is a student at the University of Economics in Yerevan. After enlistment he studied for six months and was conscripted into the army. Davit wants to continue his economic studies.

Mrs. Grigoryan says her son has little interest in village life and farming. He even doesn’t know how much land the family owns. Davit prefers sports, karate and chess. He’s won several chess medals.

Mrs. Grigoryan describes her son in one word - modest.

She says Davit is very conscientious and responsible, never having been late for classes. 

Relatives say that he used to wake up at seven in the morning for additional Armenian language courses. From there he went to school. He did very well in school.

"No one in the village imagined that David could do such a thing with such a modest, calm character. A friend of his, who was discharged from the army in August, came to our house yesterday to congratulate us. He too was surprised,” says Mrs. Grigoryan.

When we asked Mrs. Grigoryan to show us some of David’s photos, she said she didn’t even have a photo of her son holding a gun. He didn’t like to be photographed; she says.

Gayaneh, Davit’s sister, found some photos of him on her phone, taken when he first started his military service.

“When he finds out I gave you the photos he’ll kill me," jokes Gayaneh.

Photos by Ani Sargsyan