Congressional Record: July 16, 2007 (House)
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE–PERSONAL ACCOUNT

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to
discuss the irrefutable fact of the Armenian genocide. Looking at the
history of this catastrophic event from 1915 to 1918 and the impact it
had on the Armenian people, it is impossible to deny that this was
indeed genocide by all accounts. But one way, Mr. Speaker, to bear
witness to the truth is to make reference to personal accounts when the
genocide occurred at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.
Thousands of Armenians have their own account of the horrific events
their families had to endure, but tonight I would like to tell the
story of one person, Mrs. Haigoohi Hanessian, from Syracuse, New York.
Mrs. Hanessian was born in 1906 in Taurus, Turkey. In 1909, her
family fled from their home after receiving word that the Turks were
leading a massacre on all Armenians in the area. They took refuge in an
institution, and I should say they took refuge, Mr. Speaker, in an
American institution, and finally returned to their home only to find
it burned to the ground. After traveling and staying with family in
different areas, they eventually moved back to Taurus, Turkey.
Yet, again, in 1915, the Armenians were being exiled. Her family was
forced to board a train with an unknown destination. With thousands of
others, they were herded into these trains, confined in small boxcars
for days with no food and no water. Mrs. Hanessian recalls that if
someone died on the train, they were simply thrown off the train and
were left on the side of the tracks.
When they finally arrived at their destination, they were placed in
barracks. She speaks of the sentiments towards the Armenians at the
time, stating, “They wanted all the Armenians to vanish from the
Earth. Instead of killing them, they suffered and died.”
The Armenians were then marched through desert towards Syria in
extreme heat, again with no food and no water. On the way, many died
and were left to rot. After they reached a small village in Syria, they
stayed until they were told to move again. She
remembers, “An order came from all the General Headquarters that all
Armenians either be killed or deny their religion and become Muslims.”
Many people converted to save their lives, while others died to
preserve their faith.
The Armenians were forced to relocate from village to village. They
were left with no money and no supplies, and had to find ways to
survive. She said, “You couldn’t get in touch with anybody. You didn’t
know what to do. We were hungry. It was terrible. We were all dying. We
were just skeletons, no food, no nothing.”
Unlike much of Mrs. Hanessian’s family who died or disappeared in the
genocide, she survived and was able to relocate to the United States
and rebuild her life in Syracuse, New York. She has since passed away,
but not before she left her story behind, and I am proud to be able to
retell her memories, which must never be forgotten.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my support this evening for swift
passage of H. Resolution 106, reaffirming the Armenian Genocide. The
resolution now has a majority of the Members of the House as cosponsors
on a bipartisan basis.
As the first genocide of the 20th century, it is morally imperative
that we remember this atrocity and collectively demand reaffirmation of
this crime against humanity. By properly affirming the Armenian
genocide, we can also help ensure its legacy and rightfully honor its
victims and survivors like Mrs. Hanessian.