05.02.2026 23:09
Beliz Aydın, who has carefully kept the coat given to her by the soldier who rescued her mother's body and her brother from the rubble in Hatay during the earthquake, met with retired Colonel Raşit Çelik, the owner of the coat, at an event organized by the Ministry of National Defense. The meeting was filled with emotional moments, and while Colonel Çelik's words filled her with pride, the earthquake survivor Beliz could not hold back her tears.
In Hatay, which suffered the most destruction in the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, thousands of buildings were flattened, and approximately 25,000 people lost their lives.
19-year-old Beliz Aydın, who was caught in the disaster of the century in the Cebrail neighborhood of Antakya, lost her mother Betül Günyaşar, who was pulled from the rubble, in the hospital, while her brother Abdurrahman Aydın survived with both legs amputated.
HE HAD BEEN KEEPING IT FOR 3 YEARS Beliz, who experienced the disaster of the century deeply, had been carefully keeping the jacket that the soldier who rescued her mother and brother from the rubble gave her as a trust so that she wouldn't feel cold for 3 years. After the news from İhlas News Agency, which brought the trust that Beliz had carefully kept to the agenda of Turkey, it was revealed that the one who gave the jacket to the young girl was retired Colonel Raşit Çelik.
EMOTIONAL REUNION With a program organized by the Ministry of National Defense, retired Colonel Çelik met with earthquake survivor Beliz after 3 years. During the emotional meeting, Beliz, who couldn't hold back her tears, expressed sadness with her words, while retired Colonel Çelik's words brought pride.
"I THOUGHT THE JACKET ON ME WOULD PROTECT ME" Beliz, expressing that the jacket given to her by Colonel Çelik made her feel safe, said, "No one believed that a soldier gave me the jacket, some told me I was hallucinating. Those who said 'there was no one there' mocked me, and they said 'you remember that with the shock of the event, there was no one there,' but I said there was. I said my commander took off the jacket he was wearing and gave it to me so that I wouldn't be alone, he thought of me at that moment and did this, but no one believed me. You are so precious that I last saw my mother next to you.
I'm so glad you were there and that you existed. I was left alone there, but I believed everything would be fine because I was entrusted to you. I was left alone there, but I wasn't afraid; I thought the jacket on me would protect me. That day the weather was very cold and dark, and I thank you very much for making me feel safe by taking off what you were wearing and giving it to me without thinking in that cold. I found you thanks to my aunt. I didn't know anyone, I was hesitant, and your presence there was very precious to me. I felt very safe," she said.
"THE UNIFORM IS A TRUST GIVEN TO US BY OUR NATION" Retired Colonel Raşit Çelik stated that from the very first moment of the disaster of the century, the Mehmetçik rushed to help the earthquake-affected citizens, saying, "We are not doing anything to convince anyone; we are trying to fulfill our duty. We were there for that, and if it were someone else, we would have helped someone else, and we did help. We could not leave you there like that, and we could not abandon you. No matter what, we had to get you to the hospital as soon as possible, and we did. I was very saddened by your mother; may Allah have mercy on her.
He raised two children like diamonds, just like you. Our uniform is very precious to us; it is a trust given to us by our nation, and we served there with this uniform. We performed our duty with the strength and power given by our uniform. You have truly preserved the honor and dignity that the uniform has given us beautifully. I thank you for this, my daughter. We reported to the command of our İskenderun Brigade, and then we went to Gündüz Street in Antakya. We entered our area of responsibility and tried to rescue our citizens. While I was helping you there, our soldiers were selflessly risking their lives to rescue our citizens. The reason I took off and gave you the jacket was that you might have been afraid of the people there. I hope all citizens who experienced the earthquake will be better," he said.
"OUR SOLDIERS WERE TRYING TO SAVE ME AND MY MOTHER BY RISKING THEIR LIVES" Abdurrahman Çelik, who was trapped under the rubble in the disaster of the century and had both legs amputated, said, "We weren't giving interviews, but thanks to my aunt Çilem, we wanted to say that our state and nation are with us, and our soldiers are always with us. Our soldiers were trying to save me and my mother by risking their lives."