Garo Kahkejian ( hy, Կարօ Քահքէճեան reformed_orthography:_Կարո_Քահքեջյան.html" ;"title="Armenian orthography reform">reformed orthography: Կարո Քահքեջյան">Armenian orthography reform">reformed orthography: Կարո Քահքեջյան 24 March 1962 – 26 June 1993) was a famed

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

commander and participant in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. He was the founder and commander of the ''Khachakirner'' ("Crusaders") volunteer detachment, and was also known by his

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

"The White Bear" (''Spitak Arj''). Kahkedjian was the first Armenian from the diaspora who volunteered to go and fight in the Artsakh conflict.

Biography

Kahkedjian was born in 1962 in Aleppo, Syria. His grandfather Sahak, commonly known by his '' nom de guerre'' Aslan, fought in

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

and Artsakh during the time of the

Armenian national liberation movement The Armenian national movement ( hy, Հայ ազգային-ազատագրական շարժում ''Hay azgayin-azatagrakan sharzhum'') included social, cultural, but primarily political and military movements that reached their height during Worl ...

and was the bodyguard of General

Drastamat Kanayan Drastamat Kanayan (; 31 May 1884 8 March 1956), better known as Dro (Դրօ), was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He briefly served as Defence Minister of the First Republic ...

. After graduating from Armenian schools in Aleppo and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, he moved with his family to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. in 1978, he moved to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to receive a degree in architecture. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Frankfurt Engineering University. After his graduation, he lived in

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. After the devastating

1988 Spitak earthquake The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale, MSK intensity of X ( ...

, Kahkedjian arrived in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

for the first time, where he assisted the affected communities and helped raise funds from the diaspora. In the wake of the interethnic violence in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

, Kahkedjian organized the "Crusaders" detachment together with Shahe Ajemian and participated in the battles of Martuni, Hadrut,

Martakert Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, i ...

Lachin Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of N ...

and Kelbajar. During the battle for the height of "Pushkenyal" he fought with his detachment, thus keeping the height until the arrival of Armenian forces. Kahkedjian died on June 26, 1993 near

in battles near the village Maghavuz. He was killed by small-arms fire, according to his brother Tro Kahkejian, who was also a member of the Crusaders unit. Garo Kahkejian's body rests at the

Yerablur Yerablur ( hy, Եռաբլուր, translation=based on three hills) or Yerablur Military Pantheon is a military cemetery located on a hilltop in the outskirts of Yerevan, Armenia. Since 1988, Yerablur has become the burial place of Armenian soldie ...

military cemetery.

References

External links

* Fedayi.ru
Каро "Спитак Арч" Кахкеджян
* Janfedayi.co

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahkejian, Garo 1962 births 1993 deaths Syrian people of Armenian descent People from Aleppo People from Fresno, California Armenian soldiers Armenian military personnel of the Nagorno-Karabakh War Burials at Yerablur