36 years later, a Turkish flag is hung at his home and he is declared a "martyr"

Gendarmerie Private Osman Savsar, registered to the population of Afyonkarahisar, fell ill in 1988 while performing his national service in the Çaldıran district of Van. His commander, whom he informed of his condition, notified his superiors and requested that Savsar be taken to the provincial infirmary.

Savsar's request was accepted, but due to roads closed by snow, Osman Savsar was carried on sleds to an area cleared of snow. Later, he was placed in a vehicle, but he passed away while being transported to the provincial infirmary.

The family of Gendarmerie Private Osman Savsar, living in Afyonkarahisar, applied for martyr status several times at the time but received a rejection. Last January, İsmail Kumartaşlı, the Afyonkarahisar Branch President of the Turkey War Veterans, Martyrs, Widows and Orphans Association, learned of the situation and began the procedures again.

Following the initiatives taken, it was decided that Gendarmerie Private Osman Savsar would be recognized as a martyr. When the General Directorate of the Pension Fund notified that Osman Savsar had been recorded as a martyr, İsmail Kumartaşlı went to the home of the martyr's mother, Melahat Savsar, his older brother, Basri Savsar, and his sister, Serpil Karakaya, to deliver the news.

"OUR STATE HAS RECOGNIZED MY SON AS A MARTYR AFTER 36 YEARS"

Telling mother Melahat Savsar that her son had been accepted as a martyr, İsmail Kumartaşlı said, "We were always talking with brother Basri about what we could do. Since he passed away while in the military, we made the necessary applications on your behalf. Today, 36 years later, our state has recognized your son as a martyr. We came to give you this news. Here is the document accepted by the Pension Fund. As of today, your son, Osman Savsar, will be entered into state records and martyr records. In the coming process, we will go to his grave in the Susuz town. We will apply to our Governor's Office. Our Governor also sends his regards. We will hang our flag at his graveside. 36 years later, although late, I have come to deliver our glorious Turkish flag to you by kissing it on behalf of our state, mother."

İsmail Kumartaşlı presented two Turkish flags to mother Melahat Savsar, one on behalf of the state and one on behalf of the association, and also pinned a badge on her lapel. Mother Savsar draped the flag over herself as soon as she received it. Melahat Savsar, who could speak with difficulty, prayed for everyone who supported the recognition of her son as a martyr.

"THEY GRANTED US THE WORLD"

The martyr's older brother, Basri Savsar, said, "They granted us the world. Our goal is martyrdom, to be able to receive this flag. To be able to hang this flag in front of our door; flags are hung at the homes of all those who are martyrs now, this was a deep sorrow within us, we could not hang it; we could not hang it at his grave either. Now we have received the martyrdom status; our goal is to hang this flag in front of our door, to build our martyr's grave, and to hang the flag at its head. It has been 36-37 years, we haven't requested anything until now, but the fact that that flag was not hung was wounding us from within. We have only attained that. May God be pleased with those who caused this, with our state, and with our nation," he said.

Turkey War Veterans, Martyrs, Widows and Orphans Association Branch President İsmail Kumartaşlı explained how Gendarmerie Private Osman Savsar became a martyr as follows:

"Gendarmerie Private Osman Savsar, registered to the population of Susuz town in central Afyonkarahisar, reported his illness to his unit commander while performing his military service in Van Çaldıran in 1988. The unit commander provided the information for his transfer to a higher command, to the hospital in the provincial center, for the treatment of his illness.

However, the roads between Çaldıran and the higher command infirmary where he was to go were closed due to heavy snowfall, and they carried him for a certain part of the road with the means available that day, using sleds, while he was ill. Afterwards, when they reached the part of the road that was open, they put him in a vehicle, and they realized that our soldier had passed away on the road while heading to the battalion center.

Since 1988, for 36 years, our family had made attempts before, but they received a rejection. After we met with our family and obtained the necessary documents again, we made our application to the necessary authorities, and today, it was notified to us by the General Directorate of the Republic of Türkiye Pension Fund that the late Gendarmerie Private Osman Savsar has been accepted as a duty-disabled person, that is, a martyr.

We came today to inform our mother of this sad but joyful news. We were moved; although late, we delivered our flag on behalf of our state. We notified her as of today that he is recognized as a martyr. We wish God's mercy upon all our martyrs."

News Source: 12punto