[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 68 (Friday, May 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING GHAZAROS KADEMIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2005

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ghazaros Kademian, a 
resident of Glendale, Californian and a 96-year-old survivor of the 
Armenian Genocide. The courage of survivors like Mr. Kademian reminds 
all mankind of the extraordinary strength and determination of the 
Armenian people who endured the unspeakable atrocities perpetrated 
against them by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923.
  Ghazaros Kademian was just six years old when his family was forced 
into exile from their homeland in the village of Zaitoun (modern day 
Sulaimane, Turkey). His mother saved him and his siblings by fleeing 
the oncoming slaughter of the Ottoman Turks. His father stayed behind 
to defend their village and was murdered by the Turk gendarmes. The 
family only had the clothes on their backs during the long journey away 
from their home. Mr. Kademian does not remember all the details of his 
family's tragic journey, except that it was harrowing, and they had no 
idea where they were going.
  They ended their perilous flight in Kirkuk, in what is now northern 
Iraq. He remembers very vividly that first night in Kirkuk with his 
mother. They hugged each other for warmth and slept in front of a 
church for protection. That was the young Ghazaros's last embrace with 
his mother. In the morning he discovered that she had died from the 
cold and hunger. Separated from his brother and sister, he was left 
orphaned and homeless, in a town where he did not speak the language.
  After several days he found shelter with a local Muslim man who took 
him in, washed him, and fed him. Ghazaros was eventually given an 
ultimatum by the stranger to accept Islam and a new life or to leave. 
Proud of his heritage as a Christian Armenian, the brave youngster 
refused. Ghazaros did not give up his faith and was finally released 
after enduring days of physical abuse. Fortunately, an Arab Christian 
family rescued the young survivor from the streets and gave him a new 
loving home. After some time he was able to reconnect with his siblings 
and other survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Mr. Kademian went on to 
marry an Armenian girl named Azadouhi from Beirut, Lebanon, had three 
children Ohannes, Asdghig and Anahid, and seven grandchildren.
  The tragic events of 1915-1923 are part of the dark pages of history. 
However, the horrors of the Armenian Genocide have not diminished by 
the passage of time. It is our sacred obligation to honor the memory of 
the one and a half million men, women, and children systematically 
murdered during the Armenian Genocide, and the estimated half million 
more who were forced into exile. The story of Ghazaros Kademian's 
family is terrible and tragic, but not uncommon. It is our 
responsibility to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and collectively 
demand reaffirmation of this crime against humanity.
  I am very proud to honor Ghazaros Kademian of California's 29th 
Congressional District and I ask all Members of Congress to join me in 
paying tribute to this inspiring individual and the important lessons 
his experience illustrates.

                          ____________________