Monte Melkonian
National Hero of Armenia (1957–1993)
Monte Melkonian (born November 25, 1957 – June 12, 1993) was an American-Armenian military commander. in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. He is largely known for major military victories against Azerbaijan from the late autumn of 1992. Melkonian had no prior service record in any country's army before being placed in command of an estimated 4,000 men in the war. He had largely built his military education beginning from the late 1970s and 1980s where he fought against the various splintering factions in the Lebanese Civil War, against Israeli troops in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and was a member of the Armenian terror organization ASALA.
| Monte Melkonian | |
|---|---|
 2008 postal card honoring Melkonian | |
| Born | November 25, 1957 Visalia, California, United States |
| Died | June 12, 1993 (aged 35) Merzili, Agdam District, Azerbaijan |
| Buried at | Yerablur |
| Allegiance |  ASALA Nagorno-Karabakh |
| Service/branch |  Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army |
| Years of service | 1979–1993 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | Martuni Detachment |
| Battles/wars | Iranian Revolution Lebanese Civil War 1982 Lebanon War First Nagorno-Karabakh War |
| Awards | National Hero of Armenia |
| Relations | Markar Melkonian (brother) |
| Other work | The Right to Struggle (selected writings printed posthumously in 1993) |
Other websites
change- 2 part documentary video about Monte, including rare interviews, on Google Video: Part 1 and Part 2. (In Armenian.)
- 5 part interview with Monte Melkonian, in English, on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,Part 5
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