Development regarding 'reporting officers' in the file of lieutenants facing dismissal: They changed their opinion

Valedictorian Lieutenant Ebru Eroğlu stated in her defense that the order given to them was not to recite the Officer's Oath during the "official" ceremony, and that the sword-crossing and oath-reciting acts took place after the official ceremony had ended. In her defense, Eroğlu said, "I would never betray the institution that trained me for 5 years."

I have never been in contact with anyone, and I never will be. I do not want anyone to be harmed by this incident. It saddens me that there is a constant implication that there is someone behind this incident and that questions are being asked about it. If any of my friends are harmed at the end of the process (such as a dismissal from the armed forces), I absolutely do not want to be excluded from that group," she stated. Lieutenant Talip İzzet Akarsu, pointing out that the photo of the sword-crossing was taken with a professional camera, said, "The person with the camera in this environment is the school photographer, Mr. Murat. I think Mr. Murat intentionally sent the photo taken to social media or to someone who would share it on social media."

CHANGE OF OPINION AMONG SUPERIORS

According to the report by Ceren Bala Teke from T24, the investigation into 5 of the lieutenants who drew their swords and recited the oath, chanting "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal" at the Military Academy graduation ceremony held on August 30, had been completed and the file had been sent to the High Disciplinary Board (YDK). While the dismissal of the lieutenants was being sought, the YDK had sent the investigation file back to the branch schools, requesting that a "negative" opinion be written.

As the lieutenants' file was sent to the YDK for the second time, the reporting officers changed their opinions and expressed the view that the lieutenants "should be referred to the YDK."

"I CARRIED OUT THE ORDER"

Valedictorian Ebru Eroğlu stated in her defense that she recited the oath as ordered throughout the official ceremony and continued as follows:

"I saw that my classmates had gathered to cross swords, which has become a tradition in the Turkish Armed Forces. At that moment, while I was celebrating my graduation with my family, I wanted to join this proud moment with those running there. I ran and joined my friends. First, we shouted 'We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal' many times, then as it has become a tradition, we crossed our swords. With the excitement and pride of that moment, as the class valedictorian, since the official ceremony was over, I recited the officer's oath, which was last recited in 2022, and my classmates repeated it after me, inside the field where our families were also present."

"IT WAS ALSO DONE IN 2023"

The order given to us was that the oath in question should not be recited during the official ceremony, and I complied with this order. Celebrating our graduation with our families after the ceremony was nothing more than a spontaneous, sudden, and unplanned celebration filled with excitement and happiness with my fellow classmates who were present there. In 2023, when I was a 3rd-year cadet on duty at the diploma and graduation ceremony, I witnessed the graduating lieutenants crossing their swords and reciting the 'We are the youth of Atatürk' anthem after the official phase ended and the protocol had departed. Since this incident did not appear on social media at that time, it did not become a major issue. I also assessed that the act of crossing swords would not be prohibited, and since I was the top-ranking graduate of my class, I recited this oath."

Stating that no rehearsal was held for the recitation of the officer's oath before the ceremony and that she did not see any members of the press during the official ceremony, Ebru Eroğlu said that she attended the battalion party held the night before the ceremony for a short time and wanted to participate as the top-ranking graduate when her friends gathered to cross their swords.

EROĞLU'S 'LONG LIVE HARBIYE' POST

Regarding her social media post "Long live Harbiye!", Eroğlu stated that she posted it at the suggestion of Deputy Dean Arif Sarı and later deleted it, feeling that acting on someone else's word did not suit her. Eroğlu provided her defense on the matter as follows:

"I published this message on my Instagram account at the suggestion of Deputy Dean Arif Sarı. Having just graduated from the Military Academy, facing such a situation worried me. Because the incident was fresh, I fell under the impression that this post would calm things down. I made this post so that the incident would not grow any further. I shared it on my Instagram account in a way that only Arif Sarı could see. Afterwards, thinking that acting on someone else's word would not suit me, I immediately deleted the post."

"I DO NOT FIND IT LOGICAL"

Defending herself regarding the leakage of conversations to the press in the environment where the Military Academy Commander, the dean, the deputy dean, and lieutenants Ebru Eroğlu and İzzet Talip Akarsu were present after the ceremony ended, Eroğlu stated that she did not tell anyone anything about this matter.

Eroğlu stated, "That day, after the ceremony, I was called by our battalion commander to an environment where our school commander and the specified individuals were present. Both the school commander and the dean asked me questions like, 'Why did you do it, what was your purpose?' I said we had no purpose. As far as I remember, about 4-5 days after the events, I saw that this conversation and my own response had appeared in the news. I do not find it logical that this conversation was published in the news again, even though some time had passed since the incident. I did not give these conversations to any news outlet myself. I was already aware that such an attempt would harm me throughout the process."

"I DO NOT WANT TO BE OUTSIDE THAT GROUP"

Emphasizing that the sword-crossing was not planned and that they therefore did not think it was necessary to ask for permission, Eroğlu stated that in the event of a penalty such as separation from the armed forces at the end of the process, she definitely does not want to be outside that group.

Saying, "I will never betray the institution that trained me for 5 years," Eroğlu concluded her defense as follows:

"I have never contacted anyone, and I will not. I would not want anyone to be harmed by this incident. Constantly implying that there is someone behind this incident and asking questions about it saddens me. We are officers who love our country and nation, who walk in the footsteps of Atatürk as we should, and who carry the spirit of a military cadet. How else could we be? Looking for someone behind this, thinking there is an organization, saddens successful officers like us who are well-trained, enlightened, have good ideas about the future of the country, and have started the profession with pride. If any of my friends are harmed at the end of the process (such as a penalty of separation from the armed forces), I definitely do not want to be outside that group."

"I THINK MR. MURAT REFLECTED IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA"

Lieutenant Talip İzzet Akarsu, on the other hand, conveyed that the cameras filming while the officer's oath was being recited created tension and that a discussion took place because these images could be misunderstood if they were reflected on social media.

Stating that he thinks the person who took the photo was the school cameraman, Murat, and that he gave it to someone for it to be reflected on social media, Akarsu continued as follows:

"When you look at the images reflected in the public eye, it is clearly evident that they were taken with a camera, and the person with a camera in that environment is the school cameraman, Mr. Murat. I believe that Mr. Murat intentionally sent the photo taken to social media or to someone who would share it on social media. The same things done at the 2023 graduation were also done at our graduation. The only difference was the presence of the press there."

News Source: 12punto