YEREVAN. – The 22nd anniversary celebrations of the Monte Melkonian Military and Sports College of the Ministry of Defense Armenia and taking of an oath by the first-year cadets of this college were held on Saturday (PHOTOS).

And according to tradition, the college cadet with the highest scholastic aptitude was presented the personal automatic rifle of the late Monte Melkonian.

To note, Melkonian was an American-born Armenian commander during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. He was killed in the abandoned Karabakh village of Merzuli on June 12, 1993. Melkonian was buried at Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan, and is revered by Armenians as a national hero. 

And after the taking of the oath, the cadets got the chance to see their parents and relatives and have a one-week break from their studies at the college.