Armen Baghdasaryan’s war buddies nicknamed him Rambo because he looked like the movie character made famous by Sylvester Stallone. 

Instead of a military uniform, Armen wore a dark blue shirt, with a bandana on his head. Sunglasses were de rigeur. Knives of various sized were strapped to his hands and legs. 

22-year-old Armen Baghdasaryan hailed from Charentsavan, a town in Armenia’s Kotayk Province. There is a corner dedicated to him in the living room of the house. His military uniform, the Armenian tricolor and knives are placed next to his photos.  Armen loved knives and had a collection.

Armen's older brother, Gevorg, takes one of the knives from the shelf.

 “It’s the only memory left of Armen. His friends brought it from Artsakh. It was needed during the war. I don’t understand how he found steel and made it," says Gevorg.

Mrs. Satik Baghdasaryan, the boys’ mother, joins the conversation.

Armen was ten years younger than Gevorg. There’s also another brother and a sister. Armen was eleven when his father died.

After graduating high school, Armen worked as a waiter, security guard and car repairman.

 "He was constantly on the move. He could not sit still. He liked to work. He tried different things,” says Gevorg. 

Before last year’s war in Artsakh, Armen visited Suren, the middle brother, who lived in Russia. They were supposed to work together, but Armen returned to Armenia. Russia wasn’t for him.

On September 27, 2020, upon hearing news of the war, Armen volunteered to leave for Artsakh. 

His squad was sent back to Armenia due to inaccuracies in their documents. Armen went to the military commissariat again. 

"I got him out of one bus and put him in another. the other was getting up. He saw so much there for two days, I'm surprised that he went back," says Gevorg.

After a few days of military training in Sardarapat, they were taken to the front, to Mekhakavan. 

Mrs. Baghdasaryan only found out that Armen was in Artsakh after he had left.

"I told him to come back, that his sister was expecting a child. But he didn’t listen. Listening to his voice everyday gave me hope,” she says.

Armen also fought in the 2016 “Four Day War”. 

Armen also brushed aside Gevorg’s exhortations not to fight again in Artsakh, telling him it was his duty, that others were fighting there.

"After the 2016 war, he could not find his place. He was constantly fighting with me, with his brothers. He was restless. Sometimes his whole body trembled. That’s probably why he went,” says Mrs. Baghdasaryan.

"Look," says Gevorg, pointing to the photo in the frame. “He stands out from the rest. He immediately shines with his clothes and style."

One of the photos shows Armen and one of his comrades-in-arms, Gegham. Both are no gone.

Armen often sat on the enclosed balcony, watching movies, or drinking brandy. Mrs. Baghdasaryan has not touched any of Armen’s belongings. The brandy glasses and brandy bottle remain where they were.

On October 6, 2020, Azerbaijani forces attacked Armen’s squad near Mekhakavan. Close quarter combat ensued. The situation then calmed down. But an Azerbaijani UAV appeared and hit their position. Armen was injured. He didn’t call home for two days. On October 8, his friends visited Gevorg and informed him that his brother was seriously injured and that he had been transferred from the Kapan hospital to Yerevan. He was unconscious. Only Gevorg entered his brother's hospital room. Armen had suffered a head wound and had lost his sight.

"I called my mother. I put the phone in Armen's ear, I thought if he heard the voice, he could fight for his life. Once, he tilted his head. I asked if he could hear me. He squeezed my hand, but ․․․․," Gevorg recalls. Armen died at the hospital on October 21.

Armen Baghdasaryan was posthumously awarded the Combat Service Medal.

P.S. Armen's sister will give birth to twin boys soon. One will be named Armen.