Atatürk and the Cadets

A cadet.

A cadet is one who walks in the footsteps of Mustafa Kemal.

A cadet is one who, under any circumstances, dedicates their life to their homeland!

A cadet is a person who, while walking in the footsteps of the eternal commander-in-chief and the greatest cadet of all, has adopted Mustafa Kemal’s way of thinking and is capable of making great sacrifices for this cause!

Last year, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s entry into the Military Academy, TRT broadcast a documentary describing the Military Academy (Harbiye). The documentary begins with the question posed to two young lieutenants: “Who is a cadet?” I am listing the answers given by the young lieutenants once again;

“A cadet is one who walks in the footsteps of Mustafa Kemal.

A cadet is one who, under any circumstances, dedicates their life to their homeland!”

The documentary opens with the reading of Mustafa Kemal’s school number at the Military Academy aloud. “1283!”

“Present!” the cadets shout in unison!

One enters the Military Academy through the Monumental Road, where the busts of Mustafa Kemal’s comrades-in-arms, who served as army, corps, and division commanders during the War of Independence, are located. At the end of the Monumental Road, one climbs the stairs to the Military Academy.

The viewer is greeted by the massive “Cadet Monument.” It was created in 1988 by sculptor Prof. Dr. Tangut Öktem in honor of Atatürk’s entry into the Military Academy. The work, which is 24 meters high and weighs 85 tons, contains 1,000 human figures. In front of the monument, which begins at the roots of a 3-meter-high large plane tree symbolizing the past and strength, stands a 4-meter-high statue of Atatürk, with a group of officers of various ranks one step behind him, and behind them, an ever-increasing number of young military students.

It is a magnificent work of art that gives you goosebumps as you look at it. This giant monument, built on the front facade of the Military Academy for the 100th anniversary of Atatürk’s birth, was featured on the cover of Time Magazine the year it was built.

Prof. Dr. Tangut Öktem, the master of monumental sculptures, described who a cadet is so beautifully, weaving the cadets’ love for Atatürk and their commitment to his values into his art with a tremendous visual feast.

I researched what Tangut Öktem said about his work, which earned him a place among the world’s leading sculptors.

“Instead of deifying Atatürk on his own, I wanted to create compositions that tell of his revolutions and his progressive thoughts. I wanted to tell of the side of Atatürk that grew stronger together with his people. I held the belief that new generations must absolutely see these,” he says.

If Tangut Öktem were alive, I am sure he would have had a few words to say about Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, the top graduate of the Military Academy, and the other lieutenants whose dismissal is being demanded for reciting the officer’s oath while saying, “We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal.”

Military Academy top graduate Ebru Eroğlu and her fellow lieutenants are, without a doubt, among the hundreds of cadets who have united around the love for Atatürk and the values in Tangut Öktem’s monument.

I think that if Tangut Öktem were alive, he would have expressed that seeing the values of Mustafa Kemal being adopted by the new generation of cadets would have made him very happy. Just like it does for me and the millions who owe a debt of gratitude to Atatürk.

Who is a cadet?

It is enough to look at the defense of Military Academy top graduate Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu that will go down in history;

“We were first classmates of Atatürk, then comrades-in-arms.

You can take the rank on my shoulder, but you cannot take the Military Academy badge on my chest!”