Even though 14 year-old Satenik never saw her father, she knows every aspect of his life. She has learnt about him through stories told by her mother, relatives and friends of her dad. Satenik was born eight months after her father passed away.

Satenik’s mother, Nouneh, says that, “After Samvel’s funeral I found out that I was pregnant. Geghanoush, only two and one half years old at the time, actually foresaw the possibility of having a younger sister being born.

Nouneh remembers that, “One early morning she woke up and recounted that father had said that mom should go to the store and bring back a sister for her.” Nouneh adds that Geghanoush also had a premonition that her father had died when she woke up in the middle of the night and began to heavily sob saying that, “The Turks have killed daddy.”

Many in Karabakh know about Samvel Safaryan. It was due to him that many of the enemy’s firing positions were destroyed. He had been nicknamed the “Master of Artillery.” He was posthumously awarded the Combat Cross, First Degree, and granted the military rank of Deputy Colonel.

The high school in his native village of Avdour, in the Martuni region, now bears his name in honor. For many years now a tournament in his memory is held at the Central Chess Club in Stepanakert.

Born in 1961, upon completing the 8th grade in his local village school, Samvel went to Yerevan to continue his education. He first attended a school focusing on physical mathematics and later enrolled in the Faculty of Mechanical Mathematics at Yerevan State University. Upon completion he returned to Stepanakert where he served as school administrator at the physical mathematics school and coach at the Chess School for Youth.

It was at the Chess School that he met Nouneh, his future wife. They were married on December 1, 1990 and the wedding party lasted for two days. Samvel’s relatives from Avdour made the trip to Stepanakert to attend the festivities. The wedding party was then supposed to travel to Avdour to continue the merrymaking but the road home passed through the Azeri village of Malibeylu and the inhabitants were constantly firing off their weapons. Samvel and his relatives waited another day and then bypassed Malibeylu, safely making it back to Avdour.

The newlyweds stayed in Avdour for one month and then returned to Stepanakert. Samvel had already joined up with a self-defense unit comprised of volunteers. Later on, when armed conflict broke out, Samvel was part of an artillery battery, becoming the artillery brigade commander soon afterwards.

“The first time he was heavily injured I couldn’t believe he was still alive. His body was completely covered with wounds. A landmine exploded under their passing vehicle. My brother was also in the vehicle but Samvel suffered the worst injuries. It was only on the second day after the accident that he started to move a bit. He opened his eyes but didn’t recognize me. Neither did he recognize his mother or his daughter Geghanoush, whom he loved dearly and who was the sole focus of his attention. The only person he did make out, as he himself recalled at the time, was his “chief” Zhora Gasparyan whom he immediately asked about the condition of the artillery pieces” recounts Nouneh. After convalescing, Samvel returned to the battlefield with the aid of crutches. Since heavy battles were taking place in various regions of Karabakh, Samvel’s presence at the frontlines was sorely needed. His friends would carry him down from his fourth floor apartment and take him in their car to the forward positions.

This is how the Field Artillery Commander, on crutches, participated in various key Karabakh battles. The last time he was alive and at home was on March 15, 1994. Nouneh retells their last encounter together, “It was a moonlit night when he was called back to the front. I pleaded that he stay but he was adamant about leaving.”

Just two days later, on the night of March 17th, he was killed at Omar. He and three others in his unit had gotten out of their vehicle to inspect a new artillery site when an enemy mortar round hit them dead-center on. Only one of the four miraculously survived the explosion. It was during that same night that his 2 ½ year-old daughter Geghanoush suddenly woke up sobbing that her father had been killed.

Nouneh is now employed as an elementary classroom instructor at Public Scholl #11 in Stepanakert. Geghanoush, the eldest daughter has finished high school and is preparing to take her college entrance exams. She wants to become a psychologist. Young Satenik still attends classes at Stepanakert\'s psychical math school, where her father once taught.

The family survives on Nouneh’s salary and the pension they receive as dependents of a freedom-fighter killed in action. Nouneh says that, “Yes, it is difficult but we try not to fall behind and to make a go of it. Samvel would never forgive me for doing otherwise…”