Fresno Bee, CA
April 24 2005
It’s time for Turkey to acknowledge Armenian genocide
JIM BOREN
In the close-knit Armenian families of California’s San Joaquin
Valley, the stories of the first genocide of the 20th century are
passed along to each generation at dinner tables and family
gatherings. It’s a ritual to ensure that this scar on world history
won’t be forgotten.
But this isn’t just a history lesson about nameless victims of the
Armenian genocide of 90 years ago. These stories are very personal.
They trace how family members made their way to the Valley and the
tragic circumstances of those who died in a calculated slaughter that
meets every definition of genocide.
They talk about the great-grandmother whose children were murdered by
the Turks and only escaped the genocide by being hidden in a basement
by a friendly doctor and his wife. Or the 8-year-old girl whose
brother was killed and whose only hope was to find a way to survive a
Turkish death march through the desert.
They talk about how 1.5 million Armenians were killed during a
massacre that the Turkish government still won’t acknowledge.
The Turks’ intransigent attitude about those events still angers many
Armenian Americans. There’s also disappointment because the United
States government has buckled under threats from Turkey if our nation
dares call this tragic chapter what it is – a genocide.
Because Turkey sits in a strategic spot in the world, the U.S. State
Department, several presidents and Congress have refused to
officially declare that a genocide occurred.
The U.S. doesn’t want to offend the Turkish government. Never mind
that our leaders are offending the survivors of those 1.5 million
Armenians slaughtered during World War I. This wasn’t the collateral
damage of war. The Armenians were rounded up by the Turks and
executed.
But the politics of this issue could change thanks to Turkey’s desire
to become part of the European Union. French President Jacques Chirac
says Turkey must admit to the genocide as one of the conditions of
entry into the EU.
That says a lot about Turkey standing on principle. Its leaders won’t
acknowledge the genocide because it’s the right thing to do, but they
may admit to it occurring if the Turks get an economic benefit. That
tells you all you need to know about this ally of the United States.
Sunday is a special day for the Armenian community. It’s the 90th
anniversary of the genocide and a series of commemorative events have
been held the past week across the Valley. One of those was a dinner
by the Armenian Community School of Fresno (Calif.) that honored
survivors of the genocide.
In a north Fresno banquet room last week, family members told moving
stories about how their relatives were killed in the genocide and
what it took for some of them to survive. They all know these family
stories very well, and they will not shield their children from this
awful history.
It’s something that must be passed on.
The Armenian Community School honored genocide survivors from four
families. All but one has since died, but Oghda Boghosian, at age 98,
was there to receive her honor surrounded by family members. Also
honored were Mourad and Elizabeth Bedrosian, Anna Boyajian Koligian
and Dertad and Siroun Tookolan.
Oghda Boghosian was 8 when the Turks came for her family. Her oldest
brother was killed and her mother thought her best chance at survival
was to send Oghda on a march with her brother’s wife.
Going on a march usually meant death to participants, either through
the sheer torture of the procession without adequate food and water
or being shot when Turkish soldiers tired of marching along with
their victims. But it also could be a chance to flee.
Oghda was taken from the march by two Turkish boys and given to a
Turkish family that wanted an Armenian girl to keep. She ultimately
got away, and then finally arrived at Ellis Island in 1920. She
married Nigholas Boghosian, and after several years they went into
the farming business.
Oghda Boghosian’s story is not unusual and this 98-year-old woman
knows all too personally that there was a genocide that claimed
family members and so many others. It only compounds the tragedy for
this genocide to be officially ignored.
The Turkish government knows the truth. The American government knows
the truth. It’s time for both to speak it publicly.