Heroes of Shindisi

Not just the whole of Georgia, but its tiny villages have their own heroes as well. Shindisi, the region of Gori, has its heroes. Here in August 11, 2008, seventeen soldiers of Senaki brigade were killed. But they showed a marvelous example of self-sacrifice. On the very day after spreading the order to stop the fight, all of them called at home to tell their relatives that they would not be at home until the evening. According to the villager, Mr. Akhmeta, two hours before the attack, Russian tanks appeared in the village with Georgian flags and made an ambush near the old railway station. Most likely they knew that Georgians were going to use the same road but Russians ignored the cease fire agreement. As soon as the Georgian division approached their hiding place, Russians exploded their first and the last car in order to block the exit.

Georgians could leave, they had the way to escape, but no, they did not run away. The life and the death battle started. Only after running out the ammunition did one of the soldiers, Oniani, decided to blow himself up. After his death, Russians checked their dead. During the fight, only five out of twenty survived. But for Mr. Akhmeta's great heroism, five too would have died. Mr. Akhmeta took wounded bodies from the fight area. But during nine days and nights, their dead bodies were in the open air. Later only with the patriarch, it became possible to take dead bodies from this place.

They say that the enemy was shocked to see the courage of these heroes, they even didn't touch the private things of dead soldiers, or what did they take with them? Now these items are owned by the memorial. When Mishiko Dvalishvili's body was taken to his house, he had everything together: the weapons, armor and mobile phone. Shmagi Kupatadze had neither family or descendant, but he left the biggest faith and pride in his family. Merlyn Baramia has two little daughters. He was a refugee from Abkhazia. People were laughing at him because of this reason. He used to cry about it and he dreamt about going into the army in order to bring his land back. Ruslan Tsuladze used to paint perfectly, he was mainly painting tanks and other war equipment. His childhood dream was to become a soldier and go into the army. His mother was often scared of his strange thoughts. We can assume that it was her anticipation. Mishka Dvalishvili, Zviad Katsadze, Shmagi Kupatadze and Nikoloz Porchkhidze did not have family but they were preparing to get married. Levan Melkadze left his wife in the maternity house. He had manageed to see his child only once. From those who were killed, Felix Kakauridze was the oldest. He was a musician. The highest was Ilia Gabunia, he was two meters and fifteen centimeter. The villagers say, on the ground where he fell the grass still hasn't risen. His body graved on this place, now his boy is going to be a warrior.

What is happening now in Georgia? Was the sacrifice our boys made worth their lives? What did Georgia receive instead of their lives? Of course it was worth it, but for their souls we won't be alert. The frontier of Georgia and Russia warns us to be careful and not to cross the border unless we want to be the captives. I want to tell the world that here, in the middle of Georgia, we can't cross this line - the line which exactly 9 years ago was our own land, but the war has taken away those mountains, numerous villages and lives of our heroes. Georgia must go on struggling, in order to respect our heroes and be the models not only for our generation but for the world generation as well.