Norat Grigoryevich Ter-Grigoryants

Lieutenant General Norat Grigoryevich Ter-Grigoryants (Norad Der-Grigoryants), renouncing his Armenian citizenship has stirred the Armenian social media.  I attached my translations about the Lt. General, I came across. Vaհe H Apelian

FB user Vartan Tashjian, wrote on his FB page, I quote in translation:   “I asked, ‘General, what is the name Norad? I hear it for the first time.’ He said, ‘Sound it from the other side.’ It sounds like Daron. His father wanted to name the newborn child with a name dedicated to their native land Daron. Preferably, Daron itself. But he was apprehensive. The regime at the time was Bolshevik. Manifestations of national memory were a mortal sin. But the father did not give up his desire. Instead, he resorted to this ingenuity. Norad Der Grigoryan grew up in such a family - a noble Armenian, a brave soldier, an honest and kind man. He was sometimes as simple and naive as a child.”

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I read the following about the Lieutenant General from Սովորենք Պատմությունից – (Let us Learn from History) Facebook 

“Lieutenant General Norat Grigoriy Ter-Grigoryants was born on July 16, 1936, in the city of Vladikavkaz. He is a prominent military figure of the Soviet and Armenian armed forces.

His military career began in 1954, after graduating from the Armenian secondary school in Vladikavkaz. Then came the stages of military education: in 1960, the Ulyanovsk Guards Tank School, in 1968, the "Vistrel" Higher Officer Courses, in 1973, the Academy of Armored Troops of the USSR, and in 1980, the Academy of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces.

From 1960 to 1992, Ter-Grigoryants served in the Soviet Union and then the Russian Armed Forces, holding responsible positions. In 1976-1978 he was the commander of the 93rd Motorized Rifle Division of the Soviet Group of Forces stationed in Hungary. In 1980 he was appointed First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Turkmenistan Military District, and in 1981-1983 he served in Afghanistan as First Deputy Commander of the Soviet 40th Army, then Chief of Staff. In 1983-1991 he held the position of Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Ground Forces. In 1980 he was awarded the rank of Major General, and in 1985 - Lieutenant General.

In 1992-1993 he served in the Armed Forces of Armenia as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and First Deputy Minister of Defense. During those years he actively participated in the formation of the Armenian army, strengthening border defense, and developing military art.

In 2005, the work "Armenian Cossacks" was published, dedicated to the history of the Armenian Cossacks.

Norat Ter-Grigoryants was awarded numerous orders and medals, including the 1st degree medal of the Republic of Armenia "For Services to the Fatherland" on September 18, 2006.” (See Tigran Petrosyants, 200 Armenian Generals, Yerevan, 2011, p. 140.)