[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           A GENOCIDE SURVIVOR STORY: ARAM DEMERJIAN'S FATHER

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to memorialize and record a 
courageous story of survival of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian 
Genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulted 
in the death of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children. As the 
U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau documented at 
the time, it was a campaign of ``race extermination.''
  The campaign to annihilate the Armenian people failed, as illustrated 
by the proud Armenian nation and prosperous diaspora. It is difficult 
if not impossible to find an Armenian family not touched by the 
genocide, and while there are some survivors still with us, it is 
imperative that we record their stories. Through the Armenian Genocide 
Congressional Record Project, I hope to document the harrowing stories 
of the survivors in an effort to preserve their accounts and to help 
educate the Members of Congress now and in the future of the necessity 
of recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
  This is one of those stories (submitted by Aram Demerjian):

       My father, born in Diarbekir in 1901, told me about the 
     real events as I was growing up. His experiences of what 
     happened to his father and how he made to escape death were 
     not pleasant for me to hear. I was born in Lebanon. I would 
     like give you some of the accounts related to me.
       My grand-father was an iron smith. He made hand-cuffs for 
     the prison inmates. His own hand-cuffs clamped his own hands 
     by the Turks. He was taken away from his home for questioning 
     and his family never saw him again.
       I consider my father a very talented man. For instance, he 
     could play musical instruments, he could sing with a vibrant 
     voice. He was not fanatic about his religious practice. On 
     his way to exile, he stopped at many villages for few days or 
     for few months. Some religious man (sheikh) gave him shelter 
     during one stop. This host noticed that he has a good voice. 
     So he invited my father to sing in the mosque. Of course, 
     having nothing to support himself, he could not refuse 
     Sheikh's request. I forgot to mention that my Dad also spoke 
     Kurdish.
       Three months later, my father who is also a good horse 
     rider, left the village at night time. Not knowing anything 
     about his destiny. At this time, I have not many details 
     about how he made to Aleppo (Syria).
       Someday, I shall sit down to write many other events 
     regarding his brothers and his mother whom survived this 
     genocide and how my Dad was able to meet them again in 
     Lebanon. His older sister was forcefully taken away by a 
     Turkish soldier.
       I also have some recollections told to me by my mother's 
     side whose family was also exiled from the town of Konia.
       On my mother's side, the story is different. Her father 
     (Sarkis) was a merchant. Sarkis owned some wealth. He 
     converted his assets into gold coins. But he did not make the 
     exile with his family made of 3 girls, one boy and his wife 
     (my grand-mother). Sarkis was taken away one morning and 
     never came back. The gold coins were hidden inside underwear 
     of the women. A local Turk helped them ride the train out of 
     Konia to Tarousse against a certain amount of monetary 
     payment.

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