tonydawe
A Fixture
A special "G'day" and "Kia Ora" to all the Aussies and Kiwis on Planet Figure ahead of ANZAC Day 2013. Also a very sincere message of thanks to all those Planeteers who have served in the Australian and New Zealand armed forces over the years, and to those who do today.
This is the 98th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and while there are no longer any Allied soldiers alive who participated on the Gallipoli campaign, I also want to send a message of friendship to all our Turkish brothers on the Planet.
In many respects Gallipoli was a campaign that saw the birth of both modern Turkey and modern Australia, and in this respect the course of history of both countries was changed irrevocably by those bloody months of fighting in the Dardenelles.
In their honour I wanted to share a quote from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, who commanded Turkish Forces facing the ANZAC's at Gallipoli.
His generous and noble words, which were intended for the grieving mothers and fathers of Allied soldiers who died at Gallipoli, bring tears to my eyes.
"Heroes who 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 Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away 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."
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
This is the 98th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and while there are no longer any Allied soldiers alive who participated on the Gallipoli campaign, I also want to send a message of friendship to all our Turkish brothers on the Planet.
In many respects Gallipoli was a campaign that saw the birth of both modern Turkey and modern Australia, and in this respect the course of history of both countries was changed irrevocably by those bloody months of fighting in the Dardenelles.
In their honour I wanted to share a quote from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, who commanded Turkish Forces facing the ANZAC's at Gallipoli.
His generous and noble words, which were intended for the grieving mothers and fathers of Allied soldiers who died at Gallipoli, bring tears to my eyes.
"Heroes who 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 Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away 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."
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
