What happened at the Military Academy last year?

Let us continue to write about the situation of our lieutenants who are facing dismissal from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

First of all, everyone is curious about the state of mind of Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, who graduated first in her class. We asked her lawyers about this; she received the notification that she had been referred to the High Disciplinary Board on Friday, November 15. She had an important exam on Monday. She focused entirely on this exam and scored 99. Throughout the week, she also hit her targets in shooting practice. In short, she has lost none of her morale or determination; in fact, she has become even more ambitious.

As is known, after the lieutenants drew their swords among themselves following the official ceremony and recited the Officer's Oath, saying “We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal,” some government supporters and media outlets claimed that the event was a “FETÖ organization” and that these lieutenants could be “FETÖ members.” It was immediately alleged that the MIT (National Intelligence Organization) had stepped in to investigate the matter. This was not denied.

THE RESULT OF THE MIT INVESTIGATION

About 3 months have passed. If the MIT investigated, the result must have been conveyed to Erdoğan.

And we have learned that this was done, that the lieutenants' entire family trees were examined, and that no connection was found.

But what did we see? Last week, on the way back from Brazil, an attempt was made to have Erdoğan confirm the following “verdict,” which was phrased as a question:

“Last year at the Tuzla Infantry School and this year at the Military Academy graduation ceremony, behaviors incompatible with military discipline occurred. FETÖ still has infiltration attempts. Are there more sensitive measures regarding student recruitment for Military Academies, the Police Academy, and other critical schools?”

After so many years of struggle and thousands of arrests and dismissals, and if the MIT report was indeed presented to him, one would expect Erdoğan to answer, “What infiltration? We have taken all kinds of measures, we have entered their lairs. No connection was detected regarding the lieutenants either,” right? No, he said, “We are on alert… We are developing and implementing more effective and comprehensive measures,” and added that they “will never allow our critical institutions to be undermined.”

Apparently, branding anyone as “FETÖ members” at the slightest event the government dislikes does not undermine our critical institutions!..

Speaking of investigating the lieutenants' connections, let us also note this:

Last year, while she was still a student, the Ministry of National Defense decided that Ebru Eroğlu should participate in a competition in Italy on behalf of the Military Academy. Before this, everything about Eroğlu was scrutinized, and not a single negative finding was found regarding either her or her family.

Even though this is the case, pro-government writers are now wondering “who might have motivated the lieutenants,” blaming retired soldiers, the opposition, and the “tutelage-seeking media,” and claiming that “the lieutenants' action was planned and organized in advance.”

THE FEELING OF “IT IS MY RIGHT”

Two days ago, Melih Altınok from Sabah made an interesting assessment regarding Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, who has been turned into an object of “hatred” by government supporters. Altınok countered the comments that “hatred can be read in her eyes” with the following expressions:

“I don't see hatred when I look at that photo. What I read in Eroğlu's eyes is the anxiety of a frail girl who has struggled among 1,000 men for 5 years to appear tough. The effort to make her speech and mimics resemble a man's.”

He is partially right. When we explain the reason for this, you will also see whether what the lieutenants did was an “organized action planned in advance” as claimed.

According to the ranking of course grades in June, there was a hair's breadth difference between three students, and Ebru Eroğlu was in third place. When leadership and discipline scores were added to the grades the following month, Ebru Eroğlu was again first by a hair's breadth, Lieutenant M. was second, and Lieutenant P. was third.

Now let us go to the night of August 29, one day before the graduation ceremony. According to the investigation report; “The lieutenants performed the traditional battalion entertainment” and “collectively sang marches and folk songs.” Later, “random gatherings in front of the Atatürk bust in the Colonel Celal Dora Square. Here, the school runner-up [Lieutenant M.] recited the Officer's Oath, which had been removed from the legislation, upon the insistence of his friends.”

What we learned is not exactly like that; it is as follows: Lieutenant M. recites the oath because he actually sees himself as the top of the class.

Anyway; Ebru Eroğlu, who heard about this, contacted Senior Lieutenant Talip İzzet Akarsu, saying, “I am the top of the class. It is my right to recite the oath,” and asked for his help to recite it at the official graduation ceremony the next day. Akarsu, who could not refuse Ebru Eroğlu, wrote a message about this in the lieutenants' WhatsApp group at 01:00 at night.

Do you see any grand plan or organization here, other than the excitement created in young people in their 20s by 5 years of tough competition?!

WHICH ADMINISTRATION'S DISCRETION?

We need to touch upon the issue of the Officer's Oath being removed from the legislation once again.

Regarding the oath, which states, “We swear that we will be there against hands reaching out to the independence of the secular, democratic Republic of Turkey, the indivisible integrity of the country, the honor and dignity of the supreme Turkish nation, and every inch of the sacred homeland, and our swords will always be sharp and ready. We are the children of the Turkish future. We were born with honor, we will live with honor. How happy is the one who says I am a Turk!”, the Ministry of National Defense made the following statement on September 12:

“The oath in question was first added to the Directive on Diploma and Flag Handover and New Academic and Training Year Opening Ceremonies to be Held at All Levels Affiliated with the War Academies; Land, Naval and Air Forces and the Gendarmerie General Command on January 29, 1999, and its implementation began at graduation ceremonies. With the amendment made to the National Defense University Ceremony Directive on March 29, 2023, the graduation oath to be taken at ceremonies took its current form.”

What is called the “current form” was nothing more than abandoning the recitation of the Officer's Oath at the official ceremony and having the Military Oath, which is recited the moment one steps into the military, recited for a second time.

From that day on, everyone asked for what reason the Officer's Oath was removed from the legislation, but no one answered.

On November 16, we revealed the following:

Just 14 days before the lieutenants' graduation ceremony, at the graduation ceremony held at the Special Forces Command, the top student of the course recited the Officer's Oath in the presence of Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak and received their applause.

What is understood from this is that the recitation of the Officer's Oath was only abandoned in schools affiliated with the National Defense University, while it is still in effect in units affiliated with the TSK.

It means that it was not the TSK that was uncomfortable with the Officer's Oath, but the Rectorate of the National Defense University.

As a matter of fact, the Ministry of National Defense, which made consecutive statements after those images at the Special Forces Command, felt the need to emphasize that “the TSK cannot have any problem with Atatürk” and that the crime was “not drawing swords or saying ‘We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal,’ but committing an act of indiscipline by reciting an oath that was removed from the legislation.”

We learned that at the Ministry of National Defense's press briefing last week, journalists asked why the Officer's Oath was removed from the legislation. Ministry sources were content with the response, “It is at the discretion of the administration.”

Look at the duality that has emerged; on one side, the TSK, which is not uncomfortable with the Officer's Oath, and on the other side, the National Defense University under the administration of Prof. Erhan Afyoncu, which removed it from the legislation without any justification!..

WHAT IS THE REASON OR PREPARATION FOR WHAT?

Why did the Officer's Oath, which does not bother the TSK, bother the University? The answer is still unknown. But it is as if the groundwork for something new has been prepared in the Military Academies.

Whether it is related or not, it is unknown; let us draw attention to an incident that happened again at the Military Academy last year and which we brought to the agenda two days before the official ceremony on August 30.

According to the allegation, the President of Religious Affairs, Ali Erbaş, had been added to the state officials who would present diplomas to the top-ranking lieutenants. We wrote that when Ali Erbaş's name was announced to present a diploma to the female lieutenant who ranked 6th in the rehearsals, the cadets reacted to this by “booing,” and eventually, Ali Erbaş's name was removed.

The allegation in question was neither denied nor focused on and made an agenda item like it is now.

Let us continue by stating that last year, not only the 6th, but also the 1st, 3rd, and 5th were female lieutenants.

After this year's incident was blown out of proportion, we investigated the Ali Erbaş issue once again and learned the following:

The lieutenants reported that if Ali Erbaş was insisted upon, they would definitely not attend the ceremony or would collectively leave the area after the 5th-place student's diploma was presented.

The officials conveyed this reaction to the relevant authorities, saying, “We will be ruined.”

In the end, it was decided not to have Ali Erbaş present a diploma.

No one knows whether the Palace, the Ministry of National Defense, or the National Defense University put Ali Erbaş's name on the protocol list for the first time at the Military Academy graduation ceremony; but one thing is certain: this incident was not the subject of any administrative investigation.

What do you think; could someone be looking to take revenge for this now?..

Müyesser YILDIZ

November 25, 2024