World Famous Armenian Soldiers: Karamanukyan, Lahoud and Kuyumjyan

• 01.28.2018, 15:39
•  America,  Near East,  Armenia,  Diaspora,  Info

Armenians had and still have a prominent place in world history. Armenia has given the world many talented military and political figures, as well as celebrities in the field of culture, sports, business, etc. Very often we find out that this or that world celebrity is of Armenian origin.

''Armedia'' IAA is presentd a series of articles on the life and professional activities of high-ranking Armenian military servicemen who served in the armed forces of other countries. Thus we present the history of the success of the outstanding soldiers with Armenian origin, Aram Karamanukyan, Emil Jamil Lahoud and Hernan Kuyumjyan.

Aram Karamanukyan (1910 - 1996), was an Armenian General Lieutenant of the Syrian Army, lawyer. After the Genocide, he and his family settled in Aleppo. In 1934, he graduated from the artillery division of the Damascus military school preparing Syrian Army units for the French army. In 1938, he went to France and in 1945 was admitted to French high military school in Paris. After the independence of Syria in 1946, Karamanukyan took part in the formation of the Syrian national army. In 1948, he was a commander of the artillery regiment in the war against Israel, in 1949-1957, the general commander of the Syrian army artillery. In 1957, the Syrian military attaché was appointed in the United States. Since 1964 he participated in law courses in Beirut, then in Paris, and in 1972 received the degree of Doctor of Law.

In 1978, a French-language book named "Foreigners and Military Service" devoted one of the chapters to the history of the Armenian Legion, using the newly discovered documents and materials.

Aram Karamanukyan is still the only Armenian in the Middle East who had been awarded the highest military awards not only in Syria, but also in Lebanon, Egypt and France.

Emil Jamil Lahoud: the 11th president of Lebanon, who held the post of head of state for almost ten years (1998-2007) was born in 1936 in the family of Lebanese general Jamil Lahoud, and the Armenian woman, Adrina Karabaghakyan, whose parents fled to Lebanon from the Ottoman Empire in years of the Armenian Genocide. In the education of Emil and his brothers, a great role was played by their grandfather on the maternal side, Minas. That is why, despite the Maronite father, Lahoud was brought up according to Armenian customs.

Emil followed the steps of his father and after graduating from school entered the Maritime Academy of Beirut. After that, he continued his studies at the naval college of Great Britain. A brilliant military career later made Lahoud the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese military forces. And in 1998, the parliament elected Lahoud, 62, as president. By common opinion, Emil Jamil Lahoud is crystal-clear, smart, honest, he does not like to appear in public, avoids journalists.

During the civil war in Lebanon, Lahoud actively supported the Armenian community. It was him, who organized the protection of the Armenian population from Muslim attacks.

Hernan Kuyumjyan was born on April 14, 1942, in the capital of Chile, Santiago. In 1957 he entered the Military Academy. In 1962, he was appointed to the ESMERALDA military fleet located in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. In 1964 he passed a special training course in the UK and served as commander of the naval operative point. In 1987 he headed the Logistics Department of the General Staff of the Navy as Captain. In 1988, he was appointed as Naval Attache at the Chilean Embassy in Paris. In 1995, he was the Chief of the General Staff of the Naval Forces.

Kuyumjyan is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies since 2005, as well as the President of the National Union of Armenians in Chile. In 2006, he got the status of Chilean naval admiral.

Being the first Armenian soldier in Chile's Naval Forces, he received many medals. "The Armenian tricolor is everywhere with me. In winter I wear the Armenian tricolor scarf. My sister made it for me, and I carry it every day and during all naval ceremonies. The fourteen thousand miles between our two countries are not an obstacle. I feel very Armenian and I get excited when seeing our flag," said the talented Armenian.