Armenian Relief Group Honors U.S. Rescue Teams

American rescue teams that flew to Soviet Armenia in the aftermath of December’s devastating earthquake were honored in Los Angeles on Saturday at a luncheon sponsored by a Glendale-based Armenian earthquake relief organization.

More than 200 people attended the event at the Century Plaza Hotel, organized by the Earthquake Relief Fund for Armenia, which has raised more than $3 million for earthquake relief efforts.

Among those honored at the luncheon were U.S. Air Force Capt. Jean Claude Demirjian, who flew the first non-Soviet relief flight into Armenia, Bill Grimmer, director of the Canadian Search and Rescue Dog Team and members of the Southwest Medical Team.

Also presented with plaques and words of gratitude were officials of Los Angeles-area relief organizations such as World Vision and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Red Cross. In addition, the executive director of the California Seismic Safety Commission, L. Thomas Tobin, was honored.

Los Angeles Times Moscow Bureau Chief Michael Parks was the keynote speaker at the event. In his speech, Parks urged American-Armenians to invest in long-term business ventures in their homeland to help hasten the southern Soviet republic’s economic recovery.