[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1008-E1009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   REMEMBERING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______


                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 1995
  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the more than 1.5 
million victims of Armenian genocide who perished 79 years ago, and 
their families who still to this day remember this crime against 
humanity with the same intensity and pain that was felt during 8 years 
of murder, plight, and savagery.
  For 3,000 years, Armenians and Armenian culture had thrived in the 
area covered by the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish authorities in power in 
1915, however, systematically wiped out nearly two-thirds of its 
Armenian population. They first executed intellectuals and doctors, 
then adult males, leaving the elderly, the very young, and women 
defenseless, as the Turkish Government forced them on death marches 
through the deserts.
  In 8 short years, Turkey managed to slaughter a vibrant, thriving, 
indigenous population, [[Page E1009]] whose descendants today are ever 
vigilante in their reminding the world never to repeat crimes of this 
magnitude again.
  For too long, people have ignored or forgotten this unimaginable 
atrocity. The time has come for the United States, and people 
everywhere, to remember and honor the victims of this brutal crime 
against humanity. It is imperative that we all remember the incredible 
inhumanity of which people are capable, for to remember is to be 
vigilant. And vigilance is the only way we can ever keep such 
atrocities from reoccurring. Through these efforts we can promote peace 
and goodwill among all nations and cultures. We must, for if not all 
that we consider humanity will be lost.


                          ____________________