Captain Ruben Sanamyan Named National Hero of Armenia

Captain of Armenia’s Armed Forces Ruben Sanamyan was awarded the “Order of the Homeland” medal–Armenia’s highest honor–and declared a Hero of the Republic of Armenia by President Armen Sarkissian on Friday.

“As officer and commander, Captain Sanamyan showed exceptional courage, self-sacrifice in ensuring the defense and security of the homeland during the July clashes at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” said the decree for his award.

“Captain Sanamyan skillfully led the special reconnaissance group, encouraging the servicemen with his personal example, setting individual tasks, repelled the enemy’s multiple attacks on the Anvakh military outpost, inflicting significant losses to the adversary’s manpower, armaments and military equipment,” the presidential order added.

“In the trenches and without regard for his own life, along with his troops, he undertook complicated and dangerous engineering maneuvers, and through his reconnaissance efforts was able to seize important documents, weapons, ammunition and other technical equipment,” explained the presidential order.

“As a commander, Captain Sanamyan accurately analyzed the enemy’s actions, assessed the situation, predicted possible developments, and defended the Anvakh military outpost through joint efforts with the position’s personnel,” concluded the decree.

Sanamyan was born in Dilijan on September 22, 1976. He completed his mandatory military service from 1995 to 1997 and joined the Armed Forces as a contract serviceman in 2006. He is married and has two children.