Recently 16 PhD fellows from Armenia did a 5-day volunteer military service in one of the regiments of the NKR Army of Defense. The initiative belongs to Khachik Grigoryan, lecturer of Iranian Studies Department, Yerevan State University, head of scientific net ArmAcad (Armenian Association of Academic Cooperation & Support, NGO).

“This year in April I was in Artsakh, visited Karvachar, – tells Khachik. – All the time I was thinking – what shall I do, PhD scholar, who never held weapon, when war will start? I decided to get elementary knowledge and skills of soldiery”.

Khachik’s colleagues-scholars supported his idea, and they applied to Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan. The reply was not delayed, and the fellows went to the army.

“We lived a full-fledged life of a soldier, – tells PhD scholar of political analysis Hamazasp Danielyan, – wakeup at 6:30, physical training, breakfast, studies in the class and training in the field”.

The subdivision was nicknamed by the PhD scholars as “the first scientific-infantry platoon”. The scholars were given chance to give lectures to the soldiers on the following topics: “Continuation of education after military service” and “Islam as a doctrine”.

“We were very much surprised with the knowledge and skills of our soldiers, – tells Kh.Grigoryan. – The soldier who was in service only for 4 months expertly explained us tank’s devices. During the military parade of September 21st we all saw the accurate and even steps of the participants, but I can assure you that the soldiers of our regiment are not inferior to them”.

The scholars assure that after their visit to the regiment they feel themselves more secure.

Shoushan Stepanyan