A concurrent resolution supporting the goals and ideals of a National Medal of Honor and to celebrate and honor the recipients of the Medal of Honor on the anniversary of the first award of that medal in 1863.

Mr. President, I rise today, on the 93rd anniversary of the onset of the Armenian genocide, to honor the victims of this terrible tragedy and to reiterate my unwavering support for the United States Government to officially recognize as genocide the series of atrocities carried out against the Armenian population by the Ottoman Empire beginning on April 24, 1915.

It truly saddens me that after 93 years, the United States has failed to acknowledge the Armenian genocide for what it was. Between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Empire forcibly deported around 2 million Armenians, of whom 1.5 million men, women, and children were killed. Those fortunate enough to survive the massacres, forced marches, and deliberate starvation, were ejected from their homeland.

In response to reports of these horrific events, U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Henry Morgenthau, Sr. explicitly condemned the policy of the Government of the Ottoman Empire as ``a campaign of race extermination.'' Moreover, Ambassador Morgenthau was praised by U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing for his efforts ``to stop Armenian persecution.''

Perhaps more significant to the Chamber in which I stand today was the passage of S. Con. Res. 12 on February 9, 1916. This prescient piece of legislation not only acknowledged that a colossal tragedy had ensued in the midst of the Great War, but also resolved that the President of the United States ``designate a day on which the citizens of this country may give expression to their sympathy by contributing funds now being raised for the relief of the Armenians,'' who, at that time, were enduring ``starvation, disease, and untold suffering'' at the hands of the Ottoman leadership.

Less than 4 years later, while the Armenian genocide continued, the Senate would also pass S. Res. 359, which stated, in part, that recent congressional testimony ``clearly established the truth of the reported massacres and other atrocities from which the Armenian people have suffered.''

I say to my friends in the Senate, given how our esteemed colleagues of the past reflected on this terrible tragedy, I cannot help but think that they would have surely labeled these atrocities as genocide if only the word had been coined. The United States has a rich history of defending human rights, standing up for the oppressed, and speaking the truth about genocide. However, in spite of support from Members of Congress and leaders in the Armenian community, the official policy of the executive branch of the United States still does not recognize the Armenian genocide.

I am so proud that my home state of Nevada, with its vibrant Armenian-American community, and 40 other U.S. States have, by legislation or proclamation, already recognized the Armenian Genocide. In fact, on April 11, 2000, former Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn proclaimed April 24, 2000, as a day of remembrance of ``The First Genocide of the 20th Century.''

I would also like to congratulate the Armenian-Americans of southern Nevada for planning yet another successful Armenian Genocide Commemoration event on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. It is so wonderful to see this community from my home county come together each year to honor the survivors and their deceased brethren, and I wish my Armenian friends in Nevada the best of luck with this year's commemoration and those for years to come. May God bless them and all of those who fight on their behalf.

Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

On April 24, 1915, an ancient nation faced extermination when officials of the Ottoman Government initiated a series of raids in which hundreds of Armenians were arrested and subsequently deported or killed. Isolated incidents of brutality had occurred before, but sadly this event marked the beginning of a campaign of murder, deportation, and forced starvation. When the violence ultimately ended, as many as 1.5 million Armenians had died and 500,000 were exiled. Armenians all but disappeared from land their people had occupied for centuries.

The American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time was the distinguished Henry Morgenthau who described the horrors perpetrated against the Armenians as the ``murder of a nation.''

Just this week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which I have the honor to chair, had a hearing on the systematic murder of innocents in Darfur. The incident serves as an important reminder that an open discussion of the Armenian genocide is critical. Since the 1915 ethnic cleansing, the murder by a government of its own citizens has occurred again and again.

It is depressing to think that human beings have not learned their lesson. The whole world is diminished, wounded, and made poorer by such tragedies and we must not forget them if we hope to prevent them. The commemoration of this act of brutality and systematic murder 93 years ago is important and relevant not only for the survivors and their descendents, but for humanity as a whole.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Con. Res. 12.

Mr. President, I further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that any statements relating to this measure be printed in the Record.