[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13265]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 THE FAMILY OF SIMON SAKO SIMONIAN: SURVIVORS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 15, 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.
  Below is one of those stories:

  From Simon Sako Simonian, an Armenian man, on behalf of his father, 
             Nerses, and grandparents, Johnny and Golanbar

       ``My Grandfather, Johnny, and my Grandmother, Golanbar, 
     lived in Orumieh, a city in Iran close to the Turkish border. 
     They had been blessed with four children (one of them named 
     Nerses, my Father). My Grandfather was a well-educated and 
     knowledgeable person. He was fluent in more than 12 
     languages, as well as one of the few people at that time who 
     was able to properly and accurately translate and describe 
     the Bible. He was a respected man--a religious man devoted to 
     God. He was so highly respected that whenever the Consul of 
     the U.S. would go there, he would always request to meet with 
     my Grandfather.
       ``During the Armenian Genocide, the Shah (King) of Iran was 
     a very weak person; therefore the Turks were able to enter 
     Iran and do the mass killing and elimination of Armenians and 
     Christians in that area.
       ``One day, during the dark years of the Armenian Genocide, 
     a group of Turkish soldiers knocked on my Grandfather's door. 
     One of the Turkish soldiers told my Grandfather that they 
     were going to kill him and that he should speak now or never 
     if he had any requests. My Grandfather said that his only 
     wish is for them to let him pray just one more time. He was 
     allowed to step forward to the courtyard for his prayer. As 
     soon as he raised his hands towards the sky to God to start 
     his prayer, he was shot and killed from behind.
       ``He was shot and killed from behind, without a single word 
     of prayer being spoken from his lips. They also killed my 
     Grandmother.
       ``The four children, one of them being Nerses, were hiding. 
     When this occurred, they fled out and joined the crowd in the 
     street running away as fast as they could. All four children 
     ranged anywhere from 10 to 16 years old. During this time, my 
     father, Nerses, caught a severe cold since he was out in the 
     cold for 20 to 25 days. Orumieh is cold, especially during 
     the time of this occurrence. However, my father was soon 
     taken in and cared for by the Presbyterian Church in Iran, 
     where he was cared for for a few years.
       ``Sadly, he was still not feeling well, and soon developed 
     a kidney malfunction. In 1929, regardless of his fragile 
     state, he married Sophia, the love of his life in Masjed 
     Suleiman, which is a city located in the southwest region of 
     Iran.
       ``My father passed away at the young age of 38, when I was 
     only two years old. He left behind his written testimony--his 
     terrifying and heartbreaking memories of the Armenian 
     Genocide. This is why I can share all this with you today.''

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