In order to raise the patriotic spirit of future teachers and to evaluate once again the glorious victories of May, Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) hosted members of
the Committee of Veterans of War and Armed Forces, Artsakh war participants, former graduates of the ASPU, and Ruzanna Gorgisyan, the widow of the RA National Hero Moses Gorgisyan.
The guests walked around the University, visited its three-dimensional museum, met with the students and told them about the path they had passed and their active participation in the war.
Within the framework of the “Lesson of Patriotism,” Petros Petrosyan, a veteran of World War II, Chairman of the Committee of Veterans of War and Armed Forces, recalled many episodes from the war, presenting the details to the audience. “As soon as the war started [in 1941], I voluntarily went to the front and participated in a number of major battles, particularly in the liberation of Moscow, Kursk, Oryol and Ukraine.”
The veteran even reached Berlin. During the war, Petrosyan was seriously injured three times but again returned to the front after his recovery. After the war the veteran returned home with hundreds of thousands of warriors and was immediately engaged in the creative activity and ‘recovery’ of his war-torn country. Since 2010, Petrosyan has been heading the Committee of Veterans of War and Armed Forces. “The victory in the Great Patriotic War was achieved at the cost of indescribable human and material losses. The Committee is doing everything to keep alive the memory of our fallen heroes, to transfer their deeds to future generations and raise the patriotic spirit of the young generations. The visit to the Pedagogical University and the meeting with you are brilliant evidence to it,” he said.
The veteran is proud to see that the young generations do not yield to their predecessors in their patriotic spirit. They are equally active and informed, they always remember and honour veterans, participate in different events dedicated to veterans and always appear on their side on memorable dates.
Colonel Perch Soghoyan, Head of the Organizing Department of the Committee, a participant of the Great Patriotic War, also spoke about his participation and activities in the war in which he was twice wounded. The platoon commander remembered [with excitement] his commander and companions-in-arms, especially the moment when they were told the news of victory.
“It was the night of April 7. I was on duty in Northern Prussia. It was 2.00 in Moscow when the radio announced about the defeat of Nazi Germany. I woke up our general to tell him the happy news. He did not believe me and asked me not to joke in that way. Only minutes later did he realize the reality, which was followed by shots of joy into the air,” he said.
Although Perch Soghoyan was not directly involved in the Artsakh liberation movement, he deployed snipers in a number of areas to destroy the enemy units.
The participants of the Artsakh war added that they were inspired by the experience and victory of their predecessors who
participated in the Great Patriotic War which served as a token for them to participate in the national liberation struggle for independence, perform notable feats for their Homeland and win a glorious victory.
Ruzanna Gorgisyan, the widow of national hero Moses Gorgisyan, a graduate of the ASPU, assured the attendees that patriotism can also be demonstrated beyond the battlefield by properly educating the young generation and making them familiarized with the bright pages of our history.
Speaking about the initiative, the director of the museum Alvard Petrosyan said, “The results of studies carried out by the museum researchers have revealed that the museum has a great scientific and educational potential. Its numerous items and archival materials tell visitors about our past and history. To raise the patriotic spirit of future educators it is necessary to tell them in detail about the Great Patriotic and Artsakh wars.”
At the end of the meeting, the Committee of Veterans of War and Armed Forces gave the museum several books, including “Dedicated Dilijan Residents,” “Soviet Armenia during the Great Patriotic War,” booklets about the Committee’s establishment and activities, as well as some useful archival materials.
On the same day, Avetis Stepanyan, a student of the Faculty of Art Education, ASPU, donated to the University museum his graduation work – the bust of Moses Gorgisyan (supervised by Misak Melkonyan).
.jpg)
