Garo Kahkejian
| Garo Kahkejian | |
|---|---|
The grave of Garo "the White Bear" at Yerablur cemetery
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "The White Bear" |
| Born | Aleppo, Syria |
| Died | Maghavuz, Martakert Region, Nagorno-Karabakh |
| Allegiance |
 Armenia
|
| Years of service | 1991-1993 |
| Commands held | Crusaders Detachment («Խաչակիրներ») |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations | grandson of Sahak "Aslan" (bodyguard of Dro) |
Garo Kahkejian (24 March 1962 - 26 June 1993) was a famed Armenian military commander and participant in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. He was the founder and commander of the «Խաչակիրներ» ("Crusaders") volunteer detachment, and was known by his nickname "The White Bear".
Kahkedjian was one of the Armenians from the Diaspora who volunteered to go and fight in the Karabakh conflict.
Kahkedjian was born in 1962 in Aleppo, Syria. His grandfather Sahak, commonly known by his nome de guerre Aslan, fought in Western Armenia and Artsakh during the Armenian national liberation movement period and was the bodyguard of General Drastamat Kanayan. After being graduated from Armenian schools in Aleppo and Lebanon, he moved with his family to Nigeria. in 1978, he moved to Germany to receive a degree in architecture. He was graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Frankfurt Engineering University. After his graduation, he lived in Fresno, California.
After the devastating 1988 Spitak earthquake, Kahkedjian arrived in Armenia for the first time, where he assisted the affected communities and helped raise funds from the diaspora.
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Wikipedia