Same Light in the Eyes, All a Little Mustafa Kemal

Mustafa Kemal is a cadet who saved the homeland, he is the commander-in-chief, the president, he is in every moment of life. The cadets are the gems that give glory to the Turkish army to which he entrusted his homeland and his greatest work, the Republic. That is why they are all a little bit Mustafa Kemal. With the same light in their eyes and the same voice in their hearts...

The economic difficulties of the families, a free and good education, and the flamboyant appearance of the officers and cadets who came on leave during the holidays were important reasons for most middle school students to attend military high school. In the early years of the Republic, there were military secondary schools in Erzincan and Konya, Kuleli and Maltepe (Bayrampaşa) Military High Schools in Istanbul and Işıklar Military High School in Bursa.

In order to become a military student, it was sufficient to receive a clean bill of health. Students coming to military high schools from military secondary schools were accustomed to military attitudes and movements and were more familiar with military dress and grooming, so they looked down on those coming from civilian schools. As mutual friendships developed, this perspective would disappear.

The lower floors of military schools were usually used as classrooms and dining halls, while the upper floors were used as dormitories. The excellence of the food was proportional to the interest of the commander. There were no stoves in the dormitories as a matter of economy and safety precautions.

During the one-party period, reading newspapers and magazines was forbidden in military schools. There was no division between left and right in the country. The only problem was communism. It was said that Nazım Hikmet had deceived young people and turned them into communists and a moskof, an implacable enemy of the country. Those who were deceived in this way and expelled from school eventually became powerful pens of Turkish writing life.

Those who went on leave on Sundays usually spent their time in cafes playing games or going to the movies, provided that they returned at 17.00. Those who rarely had girlfriends would organize teas, and students who learned to play a musical instrument would form an orchestra. When going out, they wore navy blue trousers and dresses with red armored hems. Although it was forbidden, students preferred to wear the fashionable baggy pants, egg-heeled boots and wire-less hats.

The 13-15 year olds who came to the military schools from all over Turkey, from all walks of life except the rich and the disadvantaged, formed communities in groups of fellow countrymen. 

Military schools would melt these children from different backgrounds and cultures into a melting pot and mold them into Turkish officers, except for some inherited traits. A formation based on the love of homeland, nation and Mustafa Kemal, a formation that did not compromise on these and was passed down from generation to generation...

Military high school was important. They were all children at their most impressionable age. Loved and feared with the good and the bad, the hard and the soft, the effect of the officers at the military school on the hearts of children would continue until they died, even if they did not realize it. In spite of everything, acting like a soldier was worn as a uniform on all children.

With the coming to power of the Democrat Party, Işıklar and Maltepe Military High Schools were closed down on the grounds that these schools, which had been a source of funding for Harbiye, were unnecessary and that it was more attractive to recruit students for Harbiye from the state's existing high schools. However, when capitalism entered the country and reduced the interest in military service, Erzincan Military Secondary School and High School, which lasted ten years, and Selimiye Military Secondary School, which lasted four years, were opened in order to create better resources for Harbiye.

Officers who grew up in poverty, studied in poverty, gave their selves to this homeland all over the country, developed and matured without thinking of anything material, in a homeland liberated in poverty and hardship, would be nourished for a lifetime with the material and spiritual memories of these schools....

With the transition to Harbiye, a kind of officerhood began and a separate personality was acquired. Most importantly, smoking was no longer punishable. When the classes were determined, the most desired ones were cavalry and artillery. Those who wanted to become aviators were subjected to a special examination. Artillerymen were sent to training centers in Tuzla and Gebze, infantrymen to İzmit, auxiliary classes and aviators to Samsun, and cavalrymen to Söke.

Due to the Second World War, the Military Academy was moved from Istanbul to Ankara. İsmet Pasha would often ride his horse in the meadows around Harbiye, and students would show affection for İsmet Pasha. Since there were no force commands, Field Marshal Fevzi Çakmak was the commander of the army commanders, the air force and the navy. When Atatürk passed away, the Field Marshal said, "I don't understand politics," and Ismet Pasha, a soldier, was easily elected President, not Celal Bayar, the civilian Prime Minister.

The Turkish officer tried to find his existence and dignity by following the example of Mustafa Kemal's actions and speeches. Mustafa Kemal's national pride and excitement became the blood in the veins of the Turkish officer. When Mustafa Kemal shouted "Happy to be a Turk!" in his tenth anniversary speech, it made the Turkish officer's chest swell. The fact that his closest comrade-in-arms was now elected President was the only light for the country in those days.

At the War School, one of the first places İnönü visited when he became President, he said, "The second year cadet is one year closer to the Presidency than the first year cadet." This speech became an ideal in the heart of every cadet who wanted to be successful in his profession.

When the Second World War began, İsmet İnönü strengthened his position as the National Chief. The army, under Field Marshal Fevzi Çakmak, was one hundred percent loyal to the National Chief. The song "İsmet İnönü, Field Marshal Çakmak, a handful of land for the enemy" was played everywhere and in military casinos.

The prolongation of the war for four years, the hardships suffered by the Turkish army during the war, the shortages in terms of supplies, weapons and equipment had shaken the confidence of the young Turkish officers in the government. Around 22,000 soldiers in the army had lost their lives due to poor nutrition and care. They saw that the armies that won wars were perfectly equipped and were ashamed to compare themselves with them. Field Marshal Çakmak, who refused to accept change and said "My officers work for a ration" and "We will manage with what we have", seemed to be responsible for the situation. Being an officer had become a profession of imprisonment and deprivation.

After the war, with the start of American aid, the army was completely renewed. Many officers were sent to America for courses to learn the American way of training and equipment. The lifestyles of Western officers stimulated the aspirations of Turkish officers. 

The fact that the Turkish army lagged behind the development of the country prompted young staff officers, who had the opportunity to get to know other armies, to prepare plans for renewal. The aim was a better army and an officer corps that was not dependent on anyone. The Democrat Party, which was expected to be reformist, liquidated the officers who made these plans by assigning them abroad. "We will create a millionaire in every neighborhood," it was said, but officers could not find an apartment in Ankara to rent with their income. Party leaders could walk up to a commander without a care in the world and replace him when they did not get their way. The new rights and titles of non-commissioned officers were given to the guards who were treated as privates in the troops. High school graduates who became officers with a petition were given the right to be promoted up to the rank of Colonel, undermining the reputation of war school graduates. The General Staff was placed under the command of the Minister of National Defense. Chiefs of General Staff who lit ministerial cigarettes, stood at attention in front of the minister, were made to wait at the minister's door, and walked behind the minister were watched with regret, and the pride of the officers who had until then been glorified by Atatürk, Çakmak and İnönü was broken. A deputy from the same party said in the parliament, "We will take the service men out of the bosoms of officers' wives." He dropped the ticking time bomb by saying this.

We all know the end of the incident, one aspect of which we have discussed with the memories of the commanders of the period. Early one morning on the radio, Staff Colonel Türkeş said in a hoarse voice, "We are committed to NATO, CENTO..."