Today is Armenian national hero Vazgen Sargsyan`s birthday.

Today is marked the birthday of Armenia’s first defense minister and a former prime minister, Vazgen Sargsyan, who was tragically shot to death in October 1999 during a terrorist attack at the National Assembly.

The national hero would turn 53 today if alive.

Vazgen Sargsyan was born in Ararat region in 1959. In 1979, he graduated from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture. From 1983 to 1986, he was the Communist Youth League leader at the cement factory in Ararat. An amateur writer, Sargsyan then moved into literary life. From 1986 to 1989 he headed the publicity department of the Garun (Spring) literary monthly in Yerevan. But the Armenian national ferment of the late 1980s saw him abandon this role as he flung himself headlong into political life.

Sargsyan was the defence minister of Armenia from 1992–1993. From 1993–1995 he was a state minister in charge of defence. In 1995, during the restructuring of government ministries, he once again became a defence minister. In these various capacities, he laid the groundwork for building Armenia's army, a cause dear to his heart. He controlled the fledgling armed forces during the height of the fighting in Karabakh, in which Armenia's forces were heavily involved.

After serving as defense minister, he was appointed prime minister on June 11 by second President Robert Kocharyan. Sargsyan was killed, however, along with parliament speaker and former communist leader Karen Demirchyan and several other politicians when gunmen, headed by journalist Nairi Hunanyan, took over the parliament building. The other parliament members were held as hostages until the next day. A week later, Vazgen's brother, Aram Sargsyan became prime minister until May 2000.
Sargsyan’s body rests in the Yerablur military cemetery.