Anzac Day - In Memoriam
İbrahim Kıroğlu
by Sasha Tobago
As an American, I had never heard of Anzac Day till I stood on a western shore of Turkiye with a group of Australians.
The Aussies grew somber and silent as we gazed at a memorial built to honor the 113,000 men who perished during the 10-month Battle of Gallipoli in Turkiye.
On February 17, 1915, an invading force of French, Russian and British imperial troops (including ANZAC – the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula by sea, in an ill-fated attempt to topple the mighty Ottoman Empire.
They were unsuccessful, and the battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides.
The valor of all those involved, however, fueled the nationalistic spirit of Turks, Aussies and Kiwis alike; and led to calls in each country for greater sovereignty from their imperial overlords.
Today, Anzac Day (April 25) is a major national holiday in Australia and New Zealand, held in remembrance of Aussies and Kiwis killed in wars and peacekeeping missions, past and present.
After War, Comes Peace
In 1985, on the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkiye erected a stone monument engraved with these beautiful, poignant words by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, commander of the Ottoman forces during the Battle of Gallipoli; and first president of the nation of Turkiye, whose forces toppled the Ottoman Empire in 1922:
Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore, rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us, where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.
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Photo: Anzac Memorial at Anzac Cove, Turkiye
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