Capt. Alikhanyan, who is conducting a practical training in a military unit, is one of our officers who stood out in the last war with his exceptional dedication and courage. The participants of the practical lesson are the soldiers who went through the turmoil of the war with him.

 

Meruzhan has longed since childhood to strive to be like the heroes of the Artsakh liberation war.

“In my childhood I heard stories about our victories, I was happy with the liberation of Shushi and Karvachar, I was unspeakably excited. When they said, “What are you going to become when you grow up?” I said, “Fidayi.”

True to his decision during his two-year military service, Meruzhan applied to the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University during his service, studied hard, and was awarded the title of the most devoted officer.

“The military is a valued and respected profession in the society,” says the captain.

In the following years, Meruzhan passed on his attitude and approach to the mission, which he undertook by personal example and meticulous consistency, to his subordinates.

“We started every lesson from the fact that we were learning to fight against the enemy, we saw the result during the war. Now, after the end of the war, my soldiers are approaching these exercises with more and more enthusiasm and responsibility.

Like many participants of the war, Meruzhan does not like to talk about those days. Instead, he speaks incessantly, and is openly proud of the soldiers who fought alongside him.

“The morale of my soldiers was indescribably high. Even in the moments of hostilities, they made fun of the difficult situation.”

Then Meruzhan adds he will never forget how one of the wounded soldiers, Khachik, escaped from the hospital on the second day of being taken to the hospital and returned to the battlefield.

“It is impossible to forget such things. He had a shrapnel wound. He had seen with his own eyes what the situation was, he had felt the dangers, but again he hurried from the hospital to the front line, to us…”

The captain, who once lived the life of a soldier and is familiar with his worries and thoughts, assures:

“Before the war, I always tried to establish an atmosphere in my unit that my subordinates trusted me unconditionally. And during the hostilities, this mutual trust became even stronger.”

We also talked about Capt. Alikhanyan with the soldiers. It was from their words that we understood the secret of our colleagues’ open respect for Meruzhan.

“There was a moment, he even covered us with his body, saved our lives,” says private Nairi Khachatryan. “One day we found ourselves under the shelling of Smerch, but only because of his skill and professionalism we were saved.”

“Thanks to his correct, timely and competent orders, we did not have any casualties in the war. He was the one who gave us spirit during the war,” adds Vahe Karapetyan.

“We owe our lives to the Captain,” Aziz Nikoghosyan joins his friend.

Words of appreciation, of course, say a lot about a compassionate officer and just a patriotic Armenian.

Meruzhan speaks about his soldiers with the same enthusiasm. “Nothing, not even time is capable of dismantling a war-torn military. It is impossible to forget what these guys did to us. Going through all those difficult days together, not sleeping, being on duty, all this has turned us all into a fist.”

Capt. Alikhanyan was awarded the Medal of Courage for his self-sacrifice and courage on the battlefield. The captain considers the most important victory and achievement to be the fact that all the soldiers of his battery who went through the war returned safely to the military unit, ready to defend the Homeland again with the same spirit and determination.

 

By NERSES IVANYAN

Photo by MNATSAKAN YEPRIKYAN