It caused a crisis last year: TV series music played at military academy graduation ceremony

The joint graduation ceremony of the Military, Naval, and Air Force Academies took place this year under tight security measures.

At the 2024 ceremony, the graduating lieutenants had raised their swords and chanted in unison, "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal." However, this year, the traditional "sword-crossing" ceremony was not held.

According to Ersin Eroğlu from TELE 1, at the conclusion of the ceremony, the music from the TV series "Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu" was played in an unconventional manner.

LAST YEAR'S ANTHEMS HAD BEEN BANNED

In his defense, İzzet Talip Akarsu, one of the lieutenants expelled from the Military Academy last year, stated that anthems identified with Atatürk had been banned.

At the Military Academy graduation ceremony held on August 30, 2024, the students drew attention with the oath they took under the leadership of the class valedictorian, Ebru Eroğlu. The graduating lieutenants raised their swords, chanted the slogan "We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal," and took the oath with the following words:

"We will be there against any hands reaching out to the independence of the secular, democratic Republic of Turkey, the indivisible integrity of the country, the honor and dignity of the noble Turkish nation, and even a single inch of the sacred homeland, and our swords will always be sharp and ready. We are the children of the Turkish future. We were born with honor, and we will live with honor. How happy is the one who says I am a Turk!"

LIEUTENANTS AND COMMANDERS EXPELLED

In the administrative investigation launched after the ceremony, Lieutenants Ebru Eroğlu, İzzet Talip Akarsu, Serhat Gündar, Deniz Demirtaş, and Batuhan Gazi Kılıç, as well as commanders Alper Topsakal, Halit Türkoğlu, and Murat Ertürk, were expelled from the Turkish Armed Forces.

Lieutenant General Tevfik Algan and Brigadier General Hakan Tutucu, who had dissented from the expulsion decision, were removed from their posts and reassigned to passive duties. Both individuals subsequently resigned and retired.