The groundbreaking for a monument dedicated to National Hero of Armenia Monte Melkonian took place at the Ararat Armenian Cemetery in Fresno.  

The event was attended by prominent representatives of the Armenian community in Fresno, members of Armenian organizations in the United States, and numerous compatriots. Armenians of different generations gathered at the place where the monument to one of the most prominent commanders of the Artsakh liberation war will soon stand.

Melkonian’s granite image will stand next to a monument of Soghomon Tehlirian who assassinated Talaat Pasha on March 15, 1921 in Berlin.

The rock-like shape of the stone pedestal will remind visitors of their homeland, and the inscriptions in Armenian and English will introduce visitors to Monte Melkonian's life and military journey.

Established in 1885, the cemetery is the burial place of many prominent figures of Armenian-American history including William Saroyan.