Usually this is a joyful day when the Turkish people burst forth in a collective display of patriotism and gratitude to Ataturk, the man who single-handedly brought Turkey out of the age of empire and caliphate and guided it into the 20th century as an independent, Westward-facing secular democracy.
But this year the commemoration will be a little more somber, and the city's transformation into a panorama of red and white flags occurred a couple of weeks early, reflecting the fact that the nation is mourning in the wake of two tragedies last week.
The first happened last Wednesday, the latest chapter of a conflict that dates back to 1984 and which could be called a civil war of sorts. Twenty-four Turkish soldiers were killed in southeast Turkey in a strike by the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, a Kurdish separatist group based in northern Iraq. People here were devastated by the news, and the flags immediately went up to commemorate the "martyrs," a word Turks use to describe any soldier who dies in defense of his homeland, not only those who die for a religious cause. Thousands gathered at Ataturk's mausoleum here in Ankara to mourn. Others took to the streets, carrying flags and shouting chants of indignant fury calling for the government to avenge its citizens. Last Friday while walking to the park I encountered no less than five separate protest marches, many of them schoolkids.
As a citizen of a country where loss of military personnel is a tragically routine occurrence, and where groups of people have been protesting our current military actions since they started, I was sympathetic to their emotional response. However, I was a bit surprised by the desperation in people's voices when they spoke of the martyrs, and the extent to which the general population rose up in anger. It would be as if the entire United States jumped up after a bomb in Baghdad and went to Washington to shout, "This is enough! We have to end this now!"
To contextualize a bit, the PKK has been wreaking havoc in Turkey for decades, and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the EU, and a number of other countries. Southeast Turkey is practically a war zone. More than 30,000 people have lost their lives since 1984, both Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels, as well as several thousand civilians, according to Wikipedia. All Turkish men are required to serve in the military, and therefore run the risk of being sent willy-nilly to areas where they are likely to face combat. This last attack seems to have been the last straw for a number of people who are simply tired of a conflict that has gone on far too long.
But if that wasn't enough grief for the country, the eastern city of Van, near the Iranian border, was struck by a 7.2 earthquake on Sunday, killing at least 500 so far and leaving thousands of others homeless. I'm sure you've seen news reports, as it seems to be a major story around the globe, but in case you're wondering how this has affected me, let me try to put this in perspective.
Turkey is a big country, much bigger than I tend to think it is, and the distance from Ankara to Van is over 850 miles, meaning that I'm safely far removed from both earthquake and terrorists. I first learned of the earthquake via a Facebook post from a family friend wanting to know if I was all right, so no, we didn't feel it here and everything is okay. But in Van, the situation is bad, as rescue workers are now at a point where there isn't much hope of finding more survivors, and the government has discovered they don't have enough tents to shelter all those whose homes were destroyed.
The government here is finally starting to accept some foreign aid, and I know the U.S. has pledged to send money for relief efforts. The Red Crescent, Turkey's equivalent of the Red Cross, is also working diligently to send donations of money and winter clothes to those who need it. But, as with any disaster area, the cleanup and recovery process will not happen overnight and help will be needed for a long time to come.
If you feel moved to help relief efforts in Van, you can donate to the International Red Cross Foundation here, or to Catholic Relief Services here. These groups are sending relief workers and also providing supplies to families who have been left homeless. As far as I know there are no U.S.-based organizations collecting donations of supplies, but it's possible that local groups are starting to do so.
In the meantime, please remember Turkey in your prayers this weekend. Republic Day will be marred by a lot of pain tomorrow, and as much as people need blankets, they also have spiritual needs as they turn to God for comfort in their distress. So please pray for the hope and comfort of God's grace to be evident in the midst of disaster. Also thank God for the rescue workers and for the lives that have been saved through their hands in the days following the earthquakes, and pray for their continued strength as they search for others and begin rebuilding.
And thanks to all of you who have been so concerned about my safety recently- it's always good to know that people are thinking about me and praying for me while I'm over here as these things happen.
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