Madam President, this month we mark the Armenian genocide -- the horrible atrocities committed against the Armenian people in the early part of this century. We memorialize the tragic events that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians -- the victims of the Ottoman Empire's brutal and systematic massacre which lasted from 1915 to 1923. In April 1915, mass executions and deportations of leading Armenians began what was to become an almost 10-year onslaught. Families were forced to leave their homes and belongings and flee, on foot, to Syria. The very old and the very young were often starved to death, women were raped, children were hanged, and priests were beheaded. All this, the Ottoman Government claimed, was a defense tactic. Let us state it simply: The Armenian people were victims of a ruthless and oppressive government embarked on a campaign of murder. There are elderly survivors of the genocide which took place in Armenia 70 years ago who still bear the emotional scars of those events, as do their descendants. Armenians throughout the world maintain the cultural traditions of their ancestors and honor the memory of those who died. We, as a nation, must honor these brave people by heeding the memory of their persecution so that their deaths need not be in vain. An Armenian survivor from my home State of Delaware, Yeranouhi Najarian, said that "with her first view of Ellis Island came the first true feeling of safety from the tragedies in the Ottoman Empire." She went on to say, "When I saw the Statue of Liberty * * * I said, `this is a free country."' Let those words give us courage to protect and maintain a society in which such ideals can flourish, as was intended by America's Founders. Mrs. Najarian also stated that, "for every Armenian who lived, there was a good Turk who protected him." Let the world take note -- in every instance of brutality, there are those who protect and value human life.