An Exemplary Individual: Turkish Air Force Lieutenant General Lütfi Akdemir

There are certain individuals who are remembered for years to come and serve as role models for future generations, leaving an indelible mark on our memories. The late Air Force Lieutenant General Lütfi Akdemir was one such person. He was a true role model, especially for the airmen who served alongside him in the Turkish Air Force.
He was a child of the Republic. He was born on 4 August 1935 in the village of İhsaniye, Ilgın district of Konya. Lütfi Akdemir grew up during the difficult conditions Turkey was experiencing at the time. After completing his primary, middle and high school education in Konya, he enrolled in the Air Force Academy, then located in Izmir, on 6 September 1956. Thus began his military career. He graduated as a Second Lieutenant on 30 August 1958. He completed his pilot training in the United States on 7 June 1960. Between 1960 and 1964, he served as a flight pilot and flight leader in Merzifon (Amasya), and between 1964 and 1967 in Mürted (Ankara). In 1969, he graduated from the Air Force Academy in Istanbul as a Staff Captain. Between 1972 and 1973, he served as Commander of the 182nd Squadron, which operated F-102 aircraft, in Mürted. Between 1973 and 1975, he served on the NATO staff at SHAPE, NATO's highest-level military headquarters, in Belgium. Following the completion of his overseas assignment, he served as a department head at the Air Force Command Headquarters in Ankara between 1975 and 1979. From 1979 to 1981, he served as Battalion Commander at the Air Force Academy in Istanbul, where he earned the admiration of all Air Force cadets, including the author of these lines. His brilliance as an officer caught the attention of the then Commander of the Air Force, General Tahsin Şahinkaya, who wanted to work with him directly. Consequently, on 15 August 1981, he was appointed to the position of Secretary General, one of the most prestigious roles in the Air Force. After completing this role, he was promoted to Brigadier General by decision of the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) and appointed as Colonel and Head of the Personnel Department, responsible for planning and monitoring the appointments of Air Force personnel. Now, all Air Force personnel began to know him closely. He earned everyone's appreciation, affection, and respect due to his success and the close, sincere, and fatherly relationships he established with the personnel. Everyone now began to see him as the future Commander of the Air Force.
He served as Commander of the 7th Main Jet Base (Erhaç/Malatya) with the rank of Brigadier General from 1984 to 1986. In August 1986, he was promoted to Major General by the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) and appointed to the position of Air Force Logistics Director in Ankara. During his three years in this position, he spearheaded the establishment of a robust logistics support infrastructure for F-16 fighter jets. In 1989, he was appointed as the deputy commander of the 1st Tactical Air Force in Eskişehir. While serving in this position, he was promoted to Lieutenant General on 30 August 1990 and returned to Ankara, taking up the position of Chief of Staff of the Air Force. As the right-hand man of Air Force Commander General Halis Burhan, he made his mark in this position.

Now it was time to return to Eskişehir. In accordance with tradition, he was appointed to the position required to become Air Force Commander, as Commander of the 1st Tactical Air Force. Thus, Lieutenant General Lütfi Akdemir, who has held nearly all key positions in the Air Force, etches his name in gold letters in the airspace over the international waters of the Aegean Sea as the commander of this command, which is responsible for ensuring Turkey's air defence is at its best during these years of tension with Greece. He consistently demonstrated command that ensured ‘situational superiority’ remained on the Turkish side. He made his presence felt almost everywhere, at every point, right beside everyone – the controllers who were almost always at the helm of every radar scope during every Aegean mission, the pilots in the air, the air traffic controllers in the tower, the advanced air controllers on the ships performing search and rescue missions. He has won the hearts of his men. During his tenure, he instilled in almost every member of his staff, from the enlisted soldiers to the major generals, the feeling and belief that ‘With this Commander, we can take on any mission!’ He pioneered the emergence of a strong spirit of unity and solidarity among his personnel.
I remember the day I learned with sadness that this brave, exemplary man, whom I knew as my Regiment Commander when I was an Air Force Cadet, had unfortunately passed away on 1 May 1994. I recall that not only I, but all the personnel in blue uniforms who heard of his passing felt a deep sorrow in their hearts.
The most striking feature of this great commander was that he never lost touch with his roots. He carried the traditions and customs inherent in the Turkish people with great care and served his nation with outstanding success at every rank he held. One of the main reasons he was loved by his subordinates was his strategic genius in aviation and air power, alongside his systematic efforts to pioneer the individual development of the personnel under his command, particularly his sincere efforts to ensure that military students acquired high values and were integrated into the system. He was fatherly. He had a stern character, but he displayed this character with fatherly affection, using it for the benefit of those under his command, to ensure they could become better air force personnel.
I had the opportunity to get to know him when I was a student at the Air Force Academy, during his time as Regiment Commander. His dress, his attire, his close and guiding interest in us students never left my mind. He treated the young people of our country entrusted to him as if each one were his own child. He showed them the same interest and care.
In 1994, at an unexpected time, at a relatively young age, we lost this commander. A very dear friend of mine (also from a military background) suggested we visit the grave of this esteemed commander while passing through Konya, so I went to the cemetery where Lütfi Akdemir Pasha was laid to rest. During this visit, we met Yaşar Yıldıran, a villager from İhsaniye. We asked him what kind of person Lütfi Akdemir Pasha was and how his fellow villagers knew him. We asked him to tell us an anecdote about him, if he had one! He described the late Akdemir Pasha to us as follows: "I and almost the entire village are of Circassian origin. Many valuable people from this village have risen to high positions, but they rarely come here, so they have never benefited the villagers or our village. Lieutenant General Lütfi Akdemir Pasha was different; he never lost touch with his roots. From his time as a lieutenant to his final rank of lieutenant general, he would come to his village every summer during his leave. If you looked for him, you would find him working in the fields with a sickle or a plough. When he finished his work in the fields, he would come to the village café. There, he would joke with the children and chat with everyone. He was not status-conscious. He was not arrogant. This continued until his death. In short, he never lost touch with his roots. Everything beautiful you see in this village is thanks to his efforts."
Isn't that wonderful? Years have passed, and people still speak of you this way. They remember you with respect and honour, they talk about you. Of course, many valuable people like the late Akdemir Pasha served this country and left this world leaving behind a beautiful name.
What I want to draw your attention to in this article is that, alongside commemorating the late Lieutenant General Lütfi Akdemir, one of the exemplary representatives of the torch of enlightenment lit by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who founded our republic, I also want to draw your attention to how he, as a child of the Republic, who embraced populism from the core, how he rose to the highest ranks in the Turkish Air Force without losing touch with his roots, and how he served his country with honour. Lütfi Pasha is a profile that will be recounted to future generations as a role model, possessing the honour of being an honest, hardworking, and most importantly, exemplary Turkish officer. My brave general, a man of integrity, a child of the Republic and a soldier of Atatürk… May your soul rest in peace and your resting place be paradise...