Elton Gallegly: “I rise today on behalf of the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in the Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and…”

“I rise today on behalf of the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in the Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923 in what is widely recognized as the first case of genocide in the 20th century. Given alarming developments along similar lines in Bosnia and the African nation of Rwanda, I feel that now is a particularly appropriate time for us to honor the memory of Armenians who died only because of who they were and where they were--the same reasons we can now cite in the recent deaths of many more thousands. While Armenians continue to thrive and to make valuable and valued contributions in Turkey, America and the world, we need only review the sobering statistics to realize the devastating effect three decades of persecution had on an entire race of peoples. By the beginning of World War I, there were more than 2.5 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Today, fewer than 80,000 remain in Turkey, mostly in Istanbul and Western Turkey. The Eastern provinces, formerly the Armenian heartland, are virtually without Armenians. Thankfully, while we remember the victims of Armenian genocide today we can also salute the estimated 1 million Americans of Armenian descent and the profound contribution they have made to life in this country. It is said that history is bound to repeat itself and, sadly, man's tendency toward genocide bears this out.”