Robert Weygand: “I come before you today to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Over a period of nine years, more than one million Armenians…”

“I come before you today to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Over a period of nine years, more than one million Armenians were systematically persecuted, expelled, and displaced from their homeland in eastern Turkey. The horrific shadows of this prejudicial, killing campaign continues to haunt us. May this day of remembrance and the stories shared here reverberate through the Nation so that history is not able to repeat itself. Unfortunately, too few Americans know much about the suffering of the Armenian people from 1915 to 1923. During these years, the Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire attempted to eradicate all traces of the Armenian people and their culture from Turkey. To expedite their demise, the government ordered direct killings, instituted starvation initiatives, participated in torture tactics, and forced death marches. By all accounts, this persecution was purposeful and deliberative. Such outrageous behaviors and insurmountable prosecution can only be deemed appropriately by the term 'genocide', for a genocide implies complete annihilation and destruction. For political reasons, the United States government has long refused to accept this extermination and expulsion as such, fortunately that is rapidly changing. As we remember those whose lives were lost, let us also pay tribute to those whose lives continue to thrive in spite of this dark history.”