Armenian Army Hero Saves Lives Off and On the Battlefield

Arriving in Yerevan, Stepanyan knew it would be hard on his parents to see their son in his condition, so he made it a priority to help ease their agony and distress.

“My parents were very upset when they saw me,” said Stepanyan. “I knew I had to make them feel comfortable otherwise it was going to be very difficult for all of us.”

Stepanyan worked hard to maintain his mental and physical strength to recover from his injuries. He persevered, his competitive nature kicking in, to recover as quickly as possible to leave the hospital bed and resume daily life to the best of his ability.

At the behest of Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians, Stepanyan traveled to Calcutta, India for his prosthetic surgery, under the care of the Armenian Humanitarian College of Calcutta, which operates under the auspices of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin. At first he had difficulty adjusting to his prosthetics as they were heavy and foreign to his body but he says he was “determined for normalcy.”

Stepanyan soon looked for a sport in which he could compete and “one that I could win.” He chose arm wrestling and selected a coach with the mindset of “training towards victory.”

As he prepared for the European Para-Arm Wrestling World Cup competitions, he met Razmig Arzoumanian, one of the founders of the Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund (AWHF), with whom he forged a close relationship. AWHF is committed to the overall betterment of Armenia’s heroes and it sponsored Stepanyan’s participation in the competition. Most recently Stepanyan became the world champion, winning two gold and one silver medal last November in Poland.

Founded in response to the April 2016 war in Artsakh, AWHF’s mission is to supply troops with first-aid kits on the front line in order to prevent the three leading causes of combat deaths, which include lacerated lungs, airway obstruction and hemorrhaging. Delivering every dollar donated, the organization has already sent thousands of kits to the front line in its short history and trained soldiers on how to use the devices and supplies. The organization’s current goal is to cover the eastern front of Artsakh, working in tandem with Armenia’s Ministry of Defense.

Stepanyan’s presence in the diaspora, particularly in New York City, illuminated the significance of the Armenian Armed Forces, who risk their lives every day to protect the homeland. According to Stepanyan, it is their duty to do so and it is a duty they fulfill with pride.

“We are an intelligent nation,” said Stepanyan. “I want our country to become stronger and have an even stronger Army.”

In Stepanyan’s eyes, it is through that powerful army that Armenia will flourish and not be subject to other catastrophic attacks on its people.

“I feel great pain for the one and a half million Armenians who were massacred during the genocide,” said Stepanyan. “But by strengthening the country’s army, that kind of tragedy will never occur again.”

He sees the potential in the younger generation of Armenians, both in the homeland and in the diaspora, where he had a chance to engage with the youth, particularly at the Hovnanian Armenian School.

“I was very impressed with the curiosity of the students,” said Stepanyan. “They asked mature questions and I in turn encouraged them to never forget the Armenian language and the Armenian nation.”

Through his ongoing work with the Armenian Armed Forces and the AWHF, he hopes to bring continued awareness to important causes and to improve the quality of life for amputees and disabled soldiers by building a gym and recreational center.

“I want the gym to be free of charge and accessible to the disabled, where the wounded can train and also work,” he said. “It gives them a new life and shows the world that the Armenian people are a strong people.”

As for the future of the country that he, his parents and grandparents have physically fought for, he says he wants to “witness the return of Artsakh to Armenia and for more Armenian children to be born on the Armenian soil.”