It isn’t very often I get to do a piece about a 90-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., whom I’ve never met.
But there are exceptions, especially considering the fact he’s a World War II veteran and writes beautiful poetry about his military service.
Add to that the fact he is an accomplished artist whose work captures celebrities like Cher, and builds classical guitars that have caught the attention of virtuosos.
His name is Charles Garo Takoushian and he’s a credit to his generation. Moreover, Veterans’ Day happens to fall around his birthday and instead of seeing himself honored, he passes off the credit to his fellow soldiers. The Greatest Generation indeed!
One other touch of irony. He happens to be very computer-oriented, and that’s how we met.
“I’ve been blessed in many ways,” he told me. “Despite my age, I can’t sit still. I’ve always managed to keep busy and continue to lead a productive life.”
Takoushian first caught my attention a year ago when he sent along a painting he did on Cher in a most unique pose. He captured the singer-actress in a Madonna-like pose, cradling the Infant Jesus.
It might be something you’d find in a supermarket tabloid—hardly an artist’s studio in Arizona. Takoushian happens to be steeped in his Christian fate, especially after surviving a near-fatal mishap 26 years ago.
“As for the image of Cher as a Madonna, I thought, well, she is a Madonna,” he explained. “When I first saw Cher’s picture on the cover of a magazine, I felt there was a similarity to Madonna, and not the singer. When you get down to the reality of it all, who knew what the Madonna really looked like?”
Takoushian’s military duty is very well defined. He served as a gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator, flying many successful missions. He survived the war, not to mention a serious illness in 1985 that nearly took his life. He had been told by a radiologist that he had an 85 percent blockage of his right carotid artery.
He presented the Cher painting to the hospital that performed the life-saving surgery.
The guitars he crafts are fashioned after an Antonio Torres model, a famous guitar-maker in the mid-1800’s. He’s passed the talent on to twin grandsons who are perpetuating the art. The entire family is musically oriented.
Ask him about his favorite idols and he’ll tell you Stradivari, who lived to age 94 making violins, and Leonardo Di Vinci, artist extraordinaire, for “all his talent and insight.”
The Veterans’ Day poem symbolizes a moment in time meant to be cherished and appreciated by all those who served this country in the name of freedom. He titles it, “The Irony of Veterans’ Day Celebration”:
“While giving thanks to those who perished to serve
How shall one who lived receive thanks for having served?
For ‘tis strange to hear all grateful beings
And I with survival guilt, receiving thanks for serving
Having lived with trials and mounting fears
Only to have survived the cruelties of war
While wonderful young soldiers thrust into hell
In the prime of their lives, subjected to the death knell
So ‘tis I that gives thanks for having survived
And wish to beg you, allow me to contrive
Though your grateful thanks and celebration are nice
Allow me to convey your thanks to those
Who have paid the ultimate price
Thank you for your thoughts
And God bless all you precious souls.”
Tom Vartabedian
Latest posts by Tom Vartabedian (see all)
- Vartabedian: My Final Column - November 13, 2016
- A Hat to Match Any Occasion - October 19, 2016
- More Smiles Keep the Frowns Away - October 12, 2016
This man and others are an ace for Armenians who served the United States Military for lobbying efforts. I dare say the Turks are highly unlikely to have many Turkish men to have done so because they were secure in their country after driving out the Armenians; that is why we’re here to serve the United States. This can and should be used to our advantage when dealing with politicians on every level.
What a hunble man. His poetry speaks volumes. God bless him. And thanks to Vartabedian for bringing him to us.