"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."
So wrote Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of his "enemies" the Australian and New Zealand soldiers he fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. When he said it, in 1934, he was President of Turkey. One of the definitions of the word 'presidential' is 'befitting a President'.
I listened to this again last week. I believe that words have power.
Uploading the photo above, which I took in a cemetery in the Hunter Valley, I put in the wrong number at first and this one popped up. I'll let it stay.
10 comments:
That's a beautiful saying.
cuntie: Yes - so compassionate. It was read this morning at the dawn service at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli by a Turkish officer.
Once gain, great job
Beautiful. And your accidental picture seems fitting, too, somehow.
malach: Riding on the shoulders of giants, Mr Merciless.
phoebe: Exactly so.
I agree. Words have power. They can hurt and they can heal. Let's hope they are only used for good.
mike: We would set the world to rights.
Both photos are excellent as is your choice of words!
The transformation of Turkey into a secular democracy in the early 20th century is quite interesting, and Ataturk was quite a figure.
The 2nd photo makes me want a gin & tonic.
BuzBi: Thanks. I really liked the accident of the second photo.
Colonel: Can you imagine a world leader saying that today? Actually, one or two of them I can. But only one or two.
I see a gin & tonic in your near future.
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