Ulaanbaatar
Flowers laid at legendary Young Commander’s statue in Ulaanbaatar
Society
Ulaanbaatar
/MONTSAME/ Flowers were laid at legendary Colonel-General, Lkhagvasuren
Jamyan’s statue on March 18 in commemoration of the National Soldier’s Day and the
100th anniversary of founding of Mongolia’s Modern Armed Forces.
“A
true patriot, my father devoted his life to Mongolia and its Armed Forces. As
the Deputy General Commander of the Mongolian Armed Forces he led the Mongolian
Army on the frontline in both 1939 at the Khalkhyn Gol and in the 1945
Liberation War. For a decade, from
1959-1969 he was Mongolia’s Defense Minister. During these years he conducted
the major reform of the Armed Forces transitioning it to a modern motorized
army, thus setting a foundation to a well-equipped and well-trained Mongolian
Army of today,” said the General’s daughter Lkhagvadulam Lkhagvasuren.
A
revival of the Mongolian Army in 1959 after its dismantling in 1956 is to be
credited to the General Lkhagvasuren Jamyan, known as the Young Commander, a
title the soldiers and officers gave him in 1939. General J.Lkhagvasuren was
the mastermind behind the re-establishment of the Mongolian Army that was
re-built on a whole new level of organization and professionalism. He set up
Mongolia’s Armed Forces with all army branches and units except for the navy.
Asked
about what the Young Commander would have said to the Mongolians now, the
general’s son, Colonel Lkhagvaa Lkhagvasuren said: ”He would have called for
stability. If state is stable, the country would prosper, he would have said.”
L.Lkhagvaa further added: “It’s important for our nation today to respect the
significance of sustaining friendly relations with both our neighbours.”
The
flower laying ceremony was attended by family and friends as the official
annual ceremony at the Young Commander’s statue that traditionally takes place
on the National Soldier's Day, was cancelled due to worsening of
the situation with the COVID-19 spread in Mongolia’s capital.
