Babur Han
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Women aim high in Turkish Air Force
Saturday, November 6, 2010
ŞÜKRAN PAKKAN
ISTANBUL - Milliyet
Disciplined and educated, Turkeys first batch of female Air Force graduates have become majors, having made inroads into the male-dominated military. We are very valuable because there are so few of us, one female officer says
Despite their masculine uniforms, female members of the Air Force Academy don't give up their feminine habits. They put on make-up, grow long hair and pay attention to their personal hygiene.
Paying little attention to conventional, macho wisdom that women dont make soldiers, a group of women have recently blazed a path, joining Turkeys only Air Force Academy.
Successful on the entrance exam, as well as the physical and professional competency tests, they became cadets to make history as female air force officers in the male-dominant military.
As the academy opened its door to women in 1992, the first graduates started already being promoted to majors.
Though they are still cadets, some are welcome by their grandfathers with, Welcome Sir, hoşgeldin komutanım. Some are frequently being visited by neighbors who want to see a woman in military uniform.
Despite their masculine uniforms, they have not given up feminine habits. They put on make up, grow long hair and dont neglect their personal care. A hairdresser is called every to the academy for them. Mehtap Demir said they are allowed to wear make-up to a reasonable degree but added she doesnt miss civilian attire or high-heels and has become used to her uniform.
At the end of the day, her service to the military should be perceived just like the work of any working woman, she said.
Still, they never compromise on discipline. During the interview and photography sessions that lasted almost all day, none crossed her legs, laughed hard or went to lunch without receiving an order.
Major Demir who is only 31 years old, was promoted quickly for her successful performance and rewarded many times. Originally from Ankara, at the beginning she was not even aware of the fact that the academy was accepting female students. But after her excellent performance in the university entrance exam, she received invitation letters from the army. As she was inspired by the slogan Aim high, Demir headed to Istanbul for the academy.
She graduated from the engineering department in 1998, was trained as a staff officer and received a masters degree in public administration.
I havent had any difficulty as a female officer either during my education or in the workplace, she said, adding she has no member of the army in the family.
A British Language and Literature graduate who dreamed of being a teacher, the 33-year-old Şule Yüksel Ertuğrul Seçer envied her classmates from the academy and decided to become a military officer. After six months of training at the Air Force Gaziemir Base in İzmir, Seçer was appointed as a faculty member at the Academys Foreign Languages Department in Istanbuls Yeşilköy. 1st Lt. Seçer, who has been in the military for the past eight years, continued her academic life in the civilian university as well, receiving a masters degree from the Foreign Languages Departnent at Istanbul University.
Married to a mechanical engineer, Seçer said it was out of question for her to take the order of the military to home.
I am not in charge of the house. I dont reflect my profession at home. Although I graduated from a civilian university, Ive never had difficulty at the military academy. Since we are a few, we are valuable. We are given the utmost importance, she said.
My father shows my photos in uniform to everyone who visits him
What inspired 1st Lt. Burcu Aksu Duymaz were documentaries broadcast on the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television, or TRT, about the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, and the Air Force.
Duymaz graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department at Mersin University and received her masters degree from Mechanical Engineering Department at Aegean University. Influenced by military officers at the Defense Ministry, Duymaz took and won the entrance exams in 2006. After a six-month training period, she was appointed to the Air Force Maintenance and Supply Center in the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir. Presently, Duymaz is a planning officer at the Air Force Academy and is teaching mechanical engineering courses.
Before I entered the military, I worked in the private sector. Conditions are tougher out there and there are a lot of women and competition, she said.
Deeply impressed by the attention paid to military members, Duymaz said: My father admires soldiers. If I wear casual clothes he gets upset and asks me, Why didnt you wear your uniform? He shows everyone coming to our home photos of me wearing a uniform.
My big sister was to become a marine, I was to be air force officer
A native of the Black Sea province of Giresun, Semahat Seydioğlu, 21, said she decided to become a soldier when she was a child.
My older sister was to be a marine, and I was to be an air force officer. Flying is so very beautiful, she said, adding that she dreams of flying GSF planes which have not been purchased yet. Otherwise I will be a jet pilot. I also want to fly an F-16.
Gizem Dervenoğlu also wants to be an F-4 pilot, because it looks awesome!
As the family had no sons to send to the military and thinking that this would have made her father unhappy, Dervenoğlu, one of the four sisters, decided to apply to the academy to please her father.
A native of the eastern Black Sea province of Artvin, 21-year-old Elif Demir explained that when she was a child she wanted to be a pilot, but thought that women could not be pilots. Demir, from the Computer Engineering Department said she did not feel out of place and likes the discipline.
When I go home, neighbors stop by to see me. They all pay attention to my words. I am proud to be a student at Turkeys only Air Force Academy; it is also a very big responsibility, she said.
My first solo fly was the most excellent moment of my life
Like Demir, Zeypep Aras is also 21 years old.
After graduating from Kadir Has Anatolian High School, Aras took the entrance exams because she was interested in planes. A native of Istanbul, Aras is a student at the Electronics Engineering Department.
At first we had difficulties in adaptation, but later our lives changed very much. The most excellent moment of my life was during my first solo flight, she said.
Women aim high in Turkish Air Force - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review
anyway thats good to see gals in army, in fact i am hoping to see the benefits of the rivalry of genders which makes the army only winner.
