Retired soldiers' call to the TAF: 'End the dismissal process for the lieutenants'

Müyesser YILDIZ 12punto.com.tr 

Thousands of retired soldiers gathered at Anıtpark near Anıtkabir to protest the attempt to dismiss from the TAF the lieutenants who crossed swords and recited the Officer's Oath after the official graduation ceremony of the Military Academy, declaring, "We are Mustafa Kemal's soldiers," and demanded that this process be ended immediately.

Atatürkist Thought Association President Hüsnü Bozkurt, stating that they want to hear from the TAF that Mustafa Kemal cannot be put on trial in these lands, said, "We stand behind the lieutenants. Come and try us as well."

At the meeting, which was also supported by citizens and began with a moment of silence and the National Anthem, the first speaker, CHP Deputy Chairman and retired Rear Admiral Yankı Bağcıoğlu, emphasized that he was present not in his capacity as a politician, but as a former TAF member and a citizen concerned about the country's future. Bağcıoğlu summarized his points as follows:

"The issue is not just an injustice done to a group of young lieutenants. A grave attack has been made on the founding values of the Republic, Atatürk's legacy, and the common conscience of the Turkish Nation. The Turkish Nation is waiting for answers to these questions: What behavior has damaged the reputation of the state and the Turkish Armed Forces? What is the act or behavior that constitutes a serious crime and lack of discipline? Why do the relevant state authorities remain silent in the face of reports in social media and the press aimed at influencing a fair trial and the vile attacks made against the lieutenants? We must learn from the painful consequences of allowing politics and religious sects into our army. The young lieutenants expressing their loyalty to Atatürk is not a crime, but a sign of patriotism. We demand that this dismissal process be ended immediately. I want to remind my fellow soldiers on the High Disciplinary Board that the burden of responsibility is heavier than death itself. Our lieutenants are entrusted to the Turkish Nation. Atatürk never loses in these lands."

THEY WILL BEAR THE BURDEN OF A NEGATIVE DECISION FOR A LIFETIME 

Retired Vice Admiral Atilla Kezek, who was the Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Command at the time and resigned from the TAF to protest the conviction decisions given during the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) conspiracy process, stated that the soldiers present there had also studied at the Military Academies just like those lieutenants and became lieutenants on August 30th, and that no officer ever forgets the excitement of that day, and spoke as follows:

"Almost all of those lieutenants' families, who are middle-class, watch those ceremonies with pride and see their children as if they had become the Chief of General Staff that day. So, can you imagine how it affects those young lieutenants, their families, their classmates, and even their fellow soldiers when an investigation is opened against them the very next day for the purpose of dismissal? They will perhaps be the first lieutenants in TAF history to be dismissed the day after graduating as officers. It is a pity. A lieutenant is given advice, shown the way, and passed on experience, not punished. We want to believe that our colleagues on the High Disciplinary Board will make a fair decision regarding our lieutenants, with whom they sat in the same rows and graduated from the same school in the past. Otherwise, they will bear the burden of the decision they make for a lifetime."

TRY US TOO 

Atatürkist Thought Association President Hüsnü Bozkurt also stated that he wanted to say the following as a former military doctor:

"Our country has been experiencing serious problems since the day we lost Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We gathered here as retired former soldiers, of course, to defend the rights of our young lieutenant children. But in fact, in the person of those lieutenant children, unfortunately, we are being forced to defend Atatürk in the 101st year of the Republic."

Bozkurt spoke as citizen Hüsnü Bozkurt as follows:

"We want to hear from the TAF that Mustafa Kemal cannot be put on trial in these lands. This is the greatest insult that can be done to Turkey. Let no one be insolent. Let no one mock our intelligence. Are you making fun of us? Did Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu, who had a constant discipline grade of 10 for five years and was the top of her class, commit a disciplinary offense in half an hour? Who are you fooling? If those lieutenant children of ours had spoken like some of the people you fill Anıtkabir with every national holiday, would they be on trial today? This nation follows Mustafa Kemal, not Vahdettin, who fled by boarding a British ship. Do not be surprised. The seven great powers could not defeat Mustafa Kemal; you will never be able to defeat him."

Finally, in his capacity as President of the Atatürkist Thought Association, Bozkurt said, "We are with these lieutenants of ours and everyone who is oppressed, we stand behind them. Come, try us too."

Following these statements, where the slogan "We are Mustafa Kemal's soldiers" was frequently chanted, the retired soldiers and citizens went to Anıtkabir and held a moment of silence.

News Source: Müyesser Yıldız