A conference on “Çanakkale: The Spirit of National Unity” was held at the Conference Hall of the Institute of Atatürk’s Principles and Turkish Revolution History on the occasion of the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory.

Lect. İbrahim Bozbıyık, Vice Director of the Institute, attended the conference as a speaker.

After a moment of silence and the singing of the Turkish National Anthem, Lect. Bozbıyık was invited to the rostrum. He said that the Çanakkale front line was not just limited to March 18 but a front line remained open for more than a year. He talked about the heroes of Çanakkale and emphasized that each of the soldiers fighting on the front line was a hero; however, some of them gained prominence with certain characteristics. He said: “Unlike enemy soldiers, we have never gone beyond humane limits throughout history. We have never tyrannized anyone; on the contrary, we have always been a refuge for the oppressed nations.”

Stating that the incident that affected him most in Çanakkale was the Bomba Ridge, Lect. Bozbıyık said: “It is a critical and an unprecedented event in the history of world war. The distance between the trenches was only 8 meters, which means that the enemy is right under your nose, and death is inevitable. While the soldiers in the first trench were taking the offensive against the enemy, they were martyred by machine gun fire. Those in the second trench who saw them took their place when it was their turn. They saw those in the first trench under a hail of bullets. They knew they would die in three minutes; however, they had great composure and faith, no fear, and did not retreat.”

He ended his speech with Cevat Pasha’s words: “They went, could not pass, will not pass; Çanakkale is impassable.”