04.01.2026 13:00
Thousands of Mehmetçik who froze to death during the Sarıkamış Operation in Kars were commemorated with a 5.5-kilometer walk held at minus 22 degrees. Minister Göktaş stated, "In the freezing cold, tens of thousands of our soldiers fell here as martyrs. We are working with all our might to keep their sacred memories alive." Minister Bak added, "This is a great lesson for our youth. We will never forget those who sacrificed their lives for this homeland."
As part of the commemoration program for the thousands of Mehmetçik who froze to death during the Sarıkamış Operation in Kars, those gathered at the assembly point in the morning prepared for a 5.5-kilometer walk with flags in hand. In Sarıkamış, where the thermometers showed minus 22 degrees, participants in the walk themed 'Turkey Walks with Its Martyrs' were served soup, tea, and bread by the Turkish Red Crescent.
After the prayer, thousands of people began the walk with a poster of Atatürk and the Turkish flag at the front. The Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Aşkın Bak, also participated in the walk. The walk, which started at 09:00 at the Kızılçubuk Assembly Area, ended at the Ay Yıldız Ceremony Area. During the approximately 1.5-hour walk, gendarmerie and police teams took security measures. The Kars Provincial Health Directorate also deployed UMKE and health teams along the walking route due to the cold weather and frost.
"WE ARE ORGANIZING HEROISM MEETINGS" Speaking to the press during the walk, Minister Göktaş said, "We are together to commemorate the sacred memories of our heroes. We are together with the relatives of martyrs and veterans coming from all over Turkey, our youth, our families, and our martyr and veteran associations. There are also young brothers coming from Europe among our martyr children. Sarıkamış is an epic. This homeland was not easily obtained. I remember with mercy our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the flag and the homeland. To keep this awareness alive, we are especially organizing heroism meetings with our martyrs and veterans. We are holding heroism meetings with 79,000 of our youth across Turkey together with our martyrs and veterans. While our heroes sacrificed their lives for the homeland, we continue to pass this awareness on to younger generations," he said.
"THIS NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS WILL KEEP US ALIVE" Expressing that being in Sarıkamış is a different feeling, Göktaş said, "Being in Sarıkamış is really a different feeling, a different spirit. In the freezing cold, tens of thousands of our soldiers fell as martyrs here. Similarly, we have many heroes who fought for the homeland and the flag in Çanakkale and on July 15. We are working with all our strength to keep their sacred memories alive, to keep their heroism alive. As the Ministry of Family and Social Services, we will continue to take care of their legacies as those responsible for martyrs and veterans, and to pass on the heroism of our veterans to younger generations. This national consciousness will hopefully keep us alive at all times. May God bless our President. We thank him for instilling this consciousness in us," he said.
"A GREAT LESSON FOR OUR YOUTH" Stating that they brought young people to Sarıkamış with the slogan 'We have a trace in these lands', the Minister of Youth and Sports, Osman Aşkın Bak, said, "To explain this historical consciousness, how this homeland was won, how it was defended, and what sacrifices were made. This place is a great lesson and a significant event for our youth. We continue to tell this to our youth by doing this every year. We bring our youth to Çanakkale, Malazgirt. We try to explain what sacrifices were made for these lands with this historical consciousness by going to Dumlupınar, Sakarya. Everyone knows that there is a great struggle here. It is referred to as the 'White Epic'. We will not forget the thousands of soldiers who fell as martyrs here. We will never let those who sacrificed their lives for this homeland be forgotten," he stated.
Güler Aslan (70), who participated in the walk, said, "We sacrifice our lives for our martyrs. According to what our elders told us, our Mehmetçik fell as martyrs in these lands due to the freezing cold and blizzard. We are also commemorating them."
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