Misak Torlakian
Armenian Hero's 35th Anniversary Will be Marked May 4 in Montebello
May 2003
MONTEBELLO - The 35th anniversary of the passing of Armenian hero, Misak Torlakian, will be marked on May 4 at Holy Cross Armenian Cathedral, with wreath-laying ceremonies to follow at the hero's grave at Evergreen Cemetery in East Los Angeles.
The Requiem Service will begin at 11:30 a.m., with the graveside ceremonies scheduled for 2 p.m. A special keynote speaker will recount Torlakian's legacy.
Torlakian died at the age of 76 in Montebello, after a tumultuous life that began in 1892 in Trabizond. Joining the Armenian Revolutionary Federation at the age of 18, Torlakian succeeded in providing substantial amount of arms from a Turkish army depot in Trabizond for Armenian self-defense units.
Tasked to obtain military intelligence during World War, Torlakian, by then a member of a Russian Army scout unit, provides valuable information about Turkish army dispositions. After the Russian withdrawal from the Turkish front in 1918, which allows the Turks to advance unimpeded towards Yerevan, Torlakian joins Armenian army forces and participates with distinction in the battle of Bash Abaran, under the leadership of General Dro. The battle stops the Turkish army from advancing any further. The hard-fought victory, along with others in Sartarabad and Kara-Killiseh, leads to the establishment of the first Armenian Independent Republic, (1918-1920). In 1921, Torlakian is sent by the ARF to execute the organizer of the 1920 massacre of Armenians in Baku, Governor Beyboud Khan Djivanshir. He succeeds, and eventually settles in California, where passes away in 1968. The Remembrance of the hero is organized by the San Gabriel Valley ARF Dro Gomideh. The entire community is invited to attend this memorial at Holy Cross and the Evergreen Cemetery.
For information, and directions, contact www.ArmenianCenter.com., or call the Montebello Armenian Center, (323) 722-9697.