Turkey on Friday laid to rest the last veteran of the 1919-1923 war which secured its independence in a solemn, patriotic ceremony where dignitaries and emotional onlookers pledged never to forget. Modern Turkey is once again in the grip of rapid social change as it undergoes democratic reforms aimed at European Union membership and debates its secularism, but Mustafa Sekip Birgol's death this week united Turks in gratitude for their freedom.
Thousands of soldiers, veterans and Turkish citizens pinned Birgol's image to their chests and followed the funeral procession of the 105-year-old former colonel through the streets of Istanbul to sombre applause.
"We feel both proud and sad," said his daughter Ipek Artunc, thanking those who had come to pay their respects during a commemoration with full military honours. "Today we live in freedom and we must show our gratitude to those who fought for that privilege," said 50-year-old Ayse Ozutop, who had travelled to Istanbul's Asian shore especially to witness the procession following Birgol's coffin. Birgol was born in 1903 into a fading Ottoman Empire struggling to embrace modernity and manage territories stretching from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula.
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