THE POWER AND CHARM OF THE ARMENIAN ARMY

They are determined and strong-willed, proud and strong, brave and principled … The girls serving in the Armenian army are like that, they are not inferior to the boys and they serve the homeland equally with them. From the rear to the front line, they protect and defend the homeland. They wear military uniforms, wear army boots and become more charming, more powerful.

Twenty-one-year-old Ani Tserunyan was born in the village of Chinari in the Tavush region. The beauty with black eyes is a fourth-year student at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University; she is a motorized infantry by profession. She has chosen the military profession to give thousands of children a peaceful childhood and a protected homeland. She says that she was deprived of that peace because she grew up under the fire of the enemy, and it is the sound of those shots that brought her to the military.

“At that time we did not understand why they were shooting at our village. Those shootings were so frequent that we got used to them and were no longer afraid. It was during those years that a love for the armed forces was born in me and finally brought me here,” this is how she explains the choice of the profession.

Ani and the other girls study and serve in the same conditions as their comrades-in-arms. She says there are certain difficulties but they have learned to overcome them by hard work, perseverance and determination. Ani is an example of that determination with the medal of excellence proving it.

In a few days, the cadet will leave for service with officer’s epaulettes and the rank of lieutenant. Deep down, Ani dreams of defending her small corner of the Armenian world, her native Chinari.

By LAUA MAMYAN

Photo by ARAM SIMONYAN