I REMEMBER MY FRIEND, VATCHE ARSLANIAN
The Daily Gleaner (New Brunswick)
April 18, 2012 Wednesday
Canada
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a decade since Vatche
Arslanian was killed in Iraq.
The one-time deputy mayor of Oromocto died April 8, 2003 – just 19 days
after then-U.S. President George W. Bush sent American soldiers into
the country in a futile attempt to find weapons of mass destruction.
Mr. Arslanian, a former captain with the Artillery School at Canadian
Forces Base Gagetown, was one of six people in the Iraqi capital
of Baghdad working for the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) when he took a bullet near the heart, killing him instantly.
Mr. Arslanian was escorting Iraqi workers home after delivering much
needed medical supplies to city hospitals when he found himself in
the middle of a firefight between invading U.S. soldiers and those
loyal to then-Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Arslanian had been working for the ICRC for more than three years,
most of the time on loan from the Canadian Red Cross, when he was
killed at the age of 47.
Sometimes even the world’s most famous humanitarian symbol is no
guarantee of survival.
Two ICRC staff members, who were with Mr. Arslanian at the time of his
death, were able to escape and reach their offices, located in central
Baghdad, east of the River Tigris, part of an area called Al-Nidhal.
It was about two kilometres from the Palestine Hotel where journalists
were shelled and killed earlier that week.
Mr. Arslanian was a well-known figure in Canada’s model town.
Not only did he serve on council and run for mayor, he was involved
in many community activities.
Shortly after his death, the Oromocto Rotary Club presented the 2003
Paul Harris Fellowship to Sylvie Arslanian, who accepted it on behalf
of her late brother. The recognition is the highest honour that can
be bestowed upon a Rotarian.
In May 2005, Mr. Arslanian was named one of three recipients of the
prestigious Meritorious Service Cross. The award was presented by
then-Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson to members of his family.
“The Meritorious Service Decorations are an important part of the
Canadian Honours system,” said a news release issued at that time
from the Governor General’s office. “Like the Order of Canada, they
recognize excellence.”
Mr. Arslanian, who would have been 48 if he had lived to see another
month, was born in Syria and of Armenian descent.
He had been working with the ICRC for three years. He also spent time
in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. After graduating from high
school in 1974, he immigrated to Canada a year later. He worked at
various jobs, including dishwasher, mechanic’s helper and taxi driver.
In the fall of 1979, Mr. Arslanian enrolled at the University of
Montreal and graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in political
science.
During his college years, Mr. Arslanian joined the militia and trained
as a gunner.
In 1984, he transferred to the regular force as an officer, graduating
from phase training in 1985.
He spent time at both Canadian Forces Bases Petawawa and Valcartier,
as well as at the Field Artillery School at Gagetown. He took his
release in 1995.
Mr. Arslanian served on Oromocto town council from 1992 to 1998,
the last two years of which he spent as deputy mayor.
Nine years after his death, one can’t help but be struck by the sheer
waste of his life.
Mr. Arslanian was killed in a war that made absolutely no sense and
has been responsible for the deaths of seemingly countless people on
both sides.
He was a man of integrity and of caring.
Prior to the assignment that ultimately cost him his life, he worked
with prisoners who had been taken during the deadly Iran-Iraq War.
Those who knew Mr. Arslanian will never forget the person he was and
what he did for others, both at home and abroad.
That’s why his picture still hangs by my desk.
You’re gone, my friend, but you’ll never be forgotten.
Michael Staples is a reporter/editor with The Daily Gleaner.