Today marks April Hero Argishti Gaboyan’s birthday anniversary
Senior Lieutenant Argishti Gaboyan, who heroically fell while defending the Artsakh borders during the 2016 Four-Day April war, would have turned 29 on May 13.
During the military clashes initiated by Azerbaijan on April 2 2016, Argishti Gaboyan took all the possible measures and repelled the outnumbering forces of the adversary. He fought until the last bullet, destroying numerous Azerbaijani fighters. Argishti was posthumously awarded with the "Battle Cross" Order of the second degree of the Republic of Armenia.
Argishti Gaboyan was among the Armenian soldiers who went missing in the first days of April 2016. His body was the last one identified and returned to the Armenian side by Azerbaijan.
The April war hero was from Mets Mantash village of Armenia’s Shirak Province. Argishti studied at Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute, beginning his military service in the Armed Forces in Talish, Karabakh after graduation.
Argishti’s father Artsvik Gaboyan, who is a war veteran, took part in the Artsakh Liberation War and is currently a contract soldier. As a child, Argishti regularly visited Artsakh together with his father, interacting with his father’s fellow servicemen. In one of interviews, the hero’s mother told that during one of that visits Argishti met with Sparapet (Commander) Vazgen Sargsyan, talked to him and from that time he felt great sympathy towards the commander.
In his parent’s words, Argishti had made a collection of Vazgen Sargsyan photos and made preparations to open a corner dedicated to Sparapet in the military unit on May 9. Today, those photos and materials are kept at Argishti’s room.
To note, Mets Mantash village of Armenia’s Shirak Province gave three heroes to the April war – Argishti Gaboyan, Benyamin Yeghoyan (Monte) and Arman Andreasyan.