Personal/Parental memories...

[RookieArcher]

As i disclosed before, i am Turkish.

Please, would you tell me "your own family"s account of events, their memories, their feelings.

Eventhough Winoguy the Almighty irritated me, i dont want to let him govern me and my feelings, thus turning me into another non-sense poster. I will just heed my ear to really sincere/helping people.

As i started reading more about Armenian genocide/relocation, I also would like to hear your personal/parental story and feelings. Of course if you dont mind and if you have time.

Please no insult, garbage, boasting, hatred, exageration/belittling. Only what you have listened from your families about your "own" family. Also your own personal impression of in what kind of sorrow your families lived because of memories of genocide/relocation era and its aftermath.

I dont want this thread to be an arena of fight for opposing approaches/insights. Just "your own" family story plz.

Thanks.

[Anonymouse]

As i disclosed before, i am Turkish.

Please, would you tell me "your own family"s account of events, their memories, their feelings.

Eventhough Winoguy the Almighty irritated me, i dont want to let him govern me and my feelings, thus turning me into another non-sense poster. I will just heed my ear to really sincere/helping people.

As i started reading more about Armenian genocide/relocation, I also would like to hear your personal/parental story and feelings. Of course if you dont mind and if you have time.

Please no insult, garbage, boasting, hatred, exageration/belittling. Only what you have listened from your families about your "own" family. Also your own personal impression of in what kind of sorrow your families lived because of memories of genocide/relocation era and its aftermath.

I dont want this thread to be an arena of fight for opposing approaches/insights. Just "your own" family story plz.

Thanks.

Since I am assuming you have no ulterior motives with this and you would like to know, I will thus tell you some experiences my parents have told me.

My dad's side.

My father's side is from the region of Aintab in Turkey.

My dad's father, my grandfather, escaped a Turkish gendarme when he was 7 or 8 years old, and hid in a neighbors house (a Turkish family who was very kind to my grandfather's family, knew them, and respected them) along with the rest of his family. My grandfather recalled how he was running for his life from the Turkish gendarme who was chasing him with his scimitar, and eventually crept in some hole or access and fled to the neighbor. His brother was thrown into a well by Turkish soldiers and after became insane. Luckily, my grandfather and all his brothers came out alive. His father was really liked by the Turkish neighbor, and his mother was a very good cook and the Turkish neighbors liked them. My grandfathers immediate family survived and ended up in Haleb, Syria. His uncles, aunts, and his grandparents were all marched off and never again seen.

My grandmother, was from the Adana area, unfortunately has Alzheimer's disease and not much is remembered about her family by me personally, but my other cousins know the details which I probably will uncover in the future.

My mom's side

My mothers side is from the region of Konya, specifically, Afyon Garahisar (I probably spelled that wrong) and Neiydeh.

My mother's mother, my grandmother, recalls how her father was a respected pharmacist, and knew many of the Turkish officials in their region, and played backgammon with them. When the time for the marches came, her father and mother, were exempted. One of the officials who knew my great grandfather gave an order to the Turkish soldiers to exempt their family from the marches. However, my great grandfathers family was arriving in Konya from another region and they saw each other. They saw each other in Konya but his brother was eventually marched off and never again seen.

My mother's father, my grandfather, has the saddest fate. He was 7 or 8 years old when Turkish soldiers burst into their house and killed his parents with scimitars in front of his eyes. The rest of his family suffered the same fate. He was marched off, and eventually escaped over the Euphrates. Because of the news that the Turks were massacring Armenians had reached their family, his mom made sure to sew a pouch in his jacket containing gold coins if anything were to happen. Thus he was joined on the march through the desert. During the march when they reached some town or outpost along right before the Euphrates, a Turkish gendarme came up to him to separate him from the rest of the marchers for whatever odd reason, when he refused the Turkish gendarme struck with his scimitar, but fate would have it that my grandfather stayed alive because the scimitar struck the pouch with the gold coins and openned it. As the coins fell the Turkish gendarme was surprised that this orphan kid had gold on him, thus this gave the chance for my grandfather to escape. He escaped and eventually took his jacket off. He went into this crowd and sat down among people to hide, camouflage himself. He placed his jacket under him in the seat so as not to be recognized by the gendarme. Thus the gendarme came, passed by, looked around and did not recognzied my grandfather. The whatever amount of gold coins he had left is what saved his life as that is what he used to pay to cross the Euphrates.

[nairi]

As the coins fell the Turkish gendarme was surprised that this orphan kid had gold on him, thus this gave the chance for my grandfather to escape. He escaped and eventually took his jacket off. He went into this crowd and sat down among people to hide, camouflage himself. He placed his jacket under him in the seat so as not to be recognized by the gendarme. Thus the gendarme came, passed by, looked around and did not recognzied my grandfather. The whatever amount of gold coins he had left is what saved his life as that is what he used to pay to cross the Euphrates.

How did he escape? And how did he still have gold coins if the gendarme had seen it?

[Anonymouse]

How did he escape? And how did he still have gold coins if the gendarme had seen it?

From what my mother and grandmother told me, not all the gold fell from the pouch, as there were two or three pouches sewn in. After the gendarme couldn't find him, he received help from Arabs, and then paid his way across the Euphrates.

[winoman]

your people killed all of my Grandfathers family when he was age 12 - he escaped and killed many Turks in revenge - I only wish he had killed more - there are you happy?

And he went on to helpfinance operation nemesis - ever heard of this?

So you have developed a sudden interest in Armenain "Fables" it seems...you don't fool me. Go back to your Turk forums and talk about how happy you are to defend your Turkish Hitlers and your bloodthirsty grandpartents.

[Anonymouse]

your people killed all of my Grandfathers family when he was age 12 - he escaped and killed many Turks in revenge - I only wish he had killed more - there are you happy?

And he went on to helpfinance operation nemesis - ever heard of this?

So you have developed a sudden interest in Armenain "Fables" it seems...you don't fool me. Go back to your Turk forums and talk about how happy you are to defend your Turkish Hitlers and your bloodthirsty grandpartents.

I kinda like this new winoman.

[LadySilver]

From what my mother told me they gathered a group of people, which included my great grandmother and great grandfather on my dad's side, in a church and they burned the church. My mom doesn't talk about it much so I just don't ask.

[TurKOnE]

your people killed all of my Grandfathers family when he was age 12 - he escaped and killed many Turks in revenge - I only wish he had killed more - there are you happy?

I don't really get this. he just asks you a simple question and u answer with they killed us and we killed them there you go.. that shouldnt be all ... thats not an answer i think to a question like that . at least you should try answering like anonymous did or answer none if you will answer with nonsense

[eMachine]

people writes as a robot, straith attacking against somebody, when it comes to answer a question, people forgeting "it is a question" and starts to write against question...

[winoman]

I don't really get this. he just asks you a simple question and u answer with they killed us and we killed them there you go.. that shouldnt be all ... thats not an answer i think to a question like that . at least you should try answering like anonymous did or answer none if you will answer with nonsense

He is mocking us with this question and suposed interest. No one who comes on to this forum and makes mutiple claims that the Genocide is an Armenian fable has any real interest in our stories. He is just gathering this information to use against us - to say that we are all brainwashed (a word he has also used) because of stories from our grandparents - etc Obviously my response - though essentially true (except for me wishing that he killed more then he did - though emotionally when barraged with Turks who express their wishes concerning killing of Armenians I sometimes do feel this way) - my response was made in the spirit of his mockery.

My Grandfather never spoke of his experiences except when my father pressed him (and got him a bit drunk). He was proud to have kept the Turkish chets at bay who were trying to kill more Armenians - but he was not proud of killing.

It may surprise many Turks to know - but the genocide does not normally dominate discussion among Armenians. And in fact there were very few instances ever in my upbringing where it was ever discussed. And contrary to this idea that Armenians are all brought up to hate Turks - my Grandmother spoke fondly of Turkish music and culture in Istanbul where she was a child and I personally have known Turks and had various Turkish friends for my entire life. Just because we have been wounded by this Genocide that has destroyed our nation and taken a tremendous personal toll on us individually and as a people - does not mean that we automatically hate all Turks. Some do of course - and this is understandable - but most do not. Calling for recognition of the Genocide and decrying the policies of denial and being upset at those specific Turks that actively deny is neither being fanatical or hateful of Turks or Turkey - though I know many Turks feel this way out of defensiveness and such.