Hero. A new hero. Another hero.

Do we want to have heroes?

War touches everyone, no matter at the front or in the rear. It leaves us with hundreds of untold stories, hard goodbyes, last phone calls, cherished memories, glorious survivals, long-awaited reunions, and wounds that hardly heal.

During the lessons of the Armenian history, we have studied the numerous wars, memorized their dates, numbers of casualties, the names of our kings as heroes, and symbols of our victories. Now, when living at a time of war, hearing about every single new hero comes as a blow.

Who is a hero at a time of war?

Soldiers who defend their homeland and their loved ones at the cost of their lives. The ones who fall, the ones who stand still, the ones who got to be lucky, and the ones who didn’t even imagine they could act heroically.

Doctors who fight on the other side of the battlefield of life. Those, who save lives, struggle with each hero-patient, at the same time risking their lives as of being located in towns and villages of Artsakh, where civilian infrastructures are being bombarded and shelled.

Social activists who get self-organized to collect necessary goods and equipment to send them to the border or displaced families in need.

Information warfighters who use words and report buttons as weapons in the media to spread the word and let the world know the truth and act accordingly.

The Armenian Diaspora that proves every time – “Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing, and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.”

Everyone carrying out their duty and doing their job with the highest sense of responsibility and devotion is a hero. We are all heroes as far as we are doing our every-day job in our trenches.

Do we always have to be heroes?