April 24 1915

"Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" - Adolph Hitler

One hundred years ago Turkey trying to strengthen and expand the Ottoman Empire started to systematically drive out and murder Armenians from their homeland. This was the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, it would go on for three more years killing about 3 million Armenians. And to this day, the Turkish government denies this even happened. Every Armenian who was alive during the genocide is now gone, or over 100 years old. Its the responsibility of their children, grand children, and great-grand children to keep the story of the Armenians alive.

My kids are some of those great-grand children, my wife's grandparents were all small children who managed to escape the genocide. But how could you possibly explain a genocide. I don't think they could even comprehend what it must have been like. Honestly I couldn't imagine being a parent then, feeling so hopeless.  Knowing that being beheaded or shot was preferable to being sent on death marches out into the deserts of Syria and Iraq to starve to death. Those who survived lived the rest of their lives with the ghosts of the genocide.

I don't understand why the modern day Turkish government doesn't acknowledge the Genocide. No one in Armenia, or the diaspora is looking for reparations or anything like that. All we want is for them to take responsibility for their actions and apologize. It would only benefit both countries economically and spiritually.

So today on the 100th anniversary of the Genocide remember the Armenians.