They were dismissed from the TSK: Why did the lieutenants recite the Officer's Oath?

At the official Military Academy graduation ceremony held on August 30, 2024, five lieutenants crossed their swords and chanted the slogan "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal."

Following the disciplinary investigation launched in response to this incident, the lieutenants were referred to the High Disciplinary Board with a request for "dismissal from the Turkish Armed Forces." As a result of the examinations, the Land Forces Command High Disciplinary Board decided by majority vote to dismiss lieutenants Ebru Eroğlu, İzzet Talip Akarsu, Serhat Gündar, Deniz Demirtaş, and Batuhan Gazi Kılıç, as well as their disciplinary officers, Colonel Alper Topsakal, Lieutenant Colonel Halit Türkoğlu, and Major Murat Öztürk, from the Turkish Armed Forces.

In a statement regarding the matter, the Ministry of National Defense used the following expressions:

''Within the scope of the administrative and disciplinary investigations initiated following the images reflected to the public after the Military Academy Flag Handover and Graduation Ceremony; the Ministry of National Defense High Disciplinary Board imposed the 'Dismissal from the Armed Forces' penalty on 3 ranking disciplinary officers, and the Land Forces High Disciplinary Board imposed the same on 5 lieutenants, in accordance with the mandatory provisions of the Turkish Armed Forces Disciplinary Law, the Regulation on High Disciplinary Boards of the Turkish Armed Forces, and other aforementioned legislation.

In our Turkish Armed Forces, where the priority is the preservation and maintenance of established discipline; there should not be the slightest doubt that no act, incident, or situation contrary to discipline will be tolerated. Respectfully announced to the public."

WHY DID THEY RECITE THE BANNED OATH?

While the lieutenants are expected to appeal the decision, the reason why they recited the "Officer's Oath," which was abolished in March 2023, was a matter of curiosity.

Sözcü columnist Saygı Öztürk included striking statements on the subject in his column today. Here are the highlights:

Stating, "The lieutenants' recitation and crossing of swords were evaluated as 'indiscipline,' and five lieutenants were removed from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)," Öztürk wrote, "However, the lieutenants' recitation of this oath should not be dismissed merely as 'indiscipline.' The reason why the lieutenants wanted to recite this oath has not been sufficiently addressed. What are these lieutenants saying? 'We are being called members of a sect. We recited our officer's oath to show that we are not members of a sect.'"