The semester-long “Loyalty to Veterans Project”, conducted by the collaboration of Yalova University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Social Work together with the Yalova Branch of the Turkish Combat Veterans Association, was crowned with the “Loyalty to Veterans and Awareness Program”.
“Veterans Loyalty Project”, which was started by Prof. Dr. Musa Şahin, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sema Sağlık, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, was joined by the Yalova Combat Veterans Association. The final year students of the Department of Social Work visited the homes of veterans in Yalova during the first semester of the 2024-2025 Academic Year within the scope of the “Social Work Course for the Community”. Students met with many veterans, especially veterans who participated in the Cyprus Peace Operation, and gained experience by increasing their professional knowledge.
Many people from Yalova protocol, including Yalova Deputy Governor Bahattin Atçı, Yalova Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Colonel Ercan Altın, Yalova University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bahçekapılı, Yalova Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Arif Laçin, Eğitim Bir Sen Yalova Branch head Ahmet Kotçioğlu attended the program.
Şakir Güner, President of the Yalova Branch of the Turkish Combat Veterans Association, Prof. Ali Rıza Abay, Head of the Department of Social Work, Prof. Hasan Kaplan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bahattin Atçı, Deputy Governor of Yalova, and finally Prof. Mehmet Bahçekapılı, Rector of Yalova University, expressed their feelings and thoughts about the program.
Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bahçekapılı said, “As our poet expressed: “It is the blood on the flag that makes the flags, the land is a homeland if we die for it.” Having a homeland is not an easy thing. In order to have a homeland, you need to have such courage and bravery. Therefore, if we can live together in this homeland, under this flag, thanks to our martyrs and veterans who shed their blood for this flag and sacrificed their lives for this homeland. Let us once again send a strong round of applause to the relatives of those who are in this hall, who devoted their lives to this love, this endeavor, and who were martyred. I would also like to congratulate our students. Now, sometimes we confine some days to certain days and then we don't remember them. Or we only commemorate those days, we make speeches, but we fail to include the addressees in these events. It is very valuable that our students have taken such a responsibility, remembering our veterans, including our veterans in the work and being personally involved. Usually, when we attend a program, the rector, the mayor, or the president of the association speaks, but the agents of the work area bit in the background. Thus, it is a very good thing that some of our veterans' thoughts taken and shared in the documentaries prepared. Let's give them a round of applause to thank them for their inclusion.”
Stating that they came together within the scope of the “Veterans Loyalty Project” organized by Yalova University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, President of the Yalova Branch of the Turkish Combat Veterans Association Güner said, “On behalf of my friends, I would like to thank everyone who contributed, especially our Rector, for this meaningful and very valuable event for us. We are aware of the fact that our student brothers and sisters have visited us one by one and listened to our problems, memories and experiences. These young people have made great efforts to reach our veterans in the remotest corners, in spite of the unfavorable weather conditions. I would like to thank them individually. We, the combat veterans, are also making an effort to be a bridge between the past and the future through you, the youth. In this regard, we have visited many schools and held talks on martyrdom and veteranism and shared our memories. We will continue this effort as long as our health permits. As our veterans of the War of Independence left us, the number of Korean veterans has decreased to around 400 in Turkey and there are no Korean veterans left in our province, our effort to be a bridge between the past and the future becomes more meaningful with the contributions of young people. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who said “Independence and freedom are my character”, was awarded the title of veteran and the rank of field marshal after the bloody Battle of Sakarya, which lasted 22 days and 22 nights. We are the living representatives of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. For this reason, it is one of our most important duties to deliver the past to young generations and to shape the future. Young people, there is something I would like to say to you: You may give up wealth, property, money, life and soul, but you can never give up your homeland. Tomorrow you will be responsible for the homeland. We firmly believe that you will bring this great state to the level it deserves in knowledge and wisdom by working non-stop in a manner befitting the Turkish youth.”
The program ended with a photo session after the Cyprus veterans sang the Cyprus Anthem with great enthusiasm.
