Turkey marks 65th death anniversary of heroine Nene Hatun

Turkey on May 22 marked the 65th death anniversary of Nene Hatun, one of the iconic symbols of the Turkish women's heroism against foreign invasion.

"A Turkish child may become an orphan, but will never be without a homeland," said Nene Hatun, a heroic Turkish mother who left her newborn baby behind to fight for her country.

The odds were stacked against her and her hometown of Erzurum in eastern Turkey, then a province of the Ottoman State, in the wake of increasing Russian aggression in the 19th century.

In the heat of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, also known as the War of 93, Hatun symbolized the power of invincible Turkish patriotism and the sacrifices of Turkish women in particular with their unparalleled service to the homeland.

"Nene Hatun left her child to her neighbors and rushed to the front. Turkish women will defend their homeland forever," Erol Kürkçüoğlu, a history professor at Atatürk University in Turkey's eastern Erzurum province, told Anadolu Agency.

"Turkish women stood with Turkish men during the war. The Russian-Turkish War was won with the integration of the army and the nation," Kürkçüoğlu said.

"We must always remember our elders with respect. Our mothers and grandmothers have been a part of the struggle for the defense of homeland," he added.

Born in 1857 in the village of Ceperli, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) east of Erzurum, Hatun was married at the age of 16.

Before turning 20, the young woman did not hesitate to leave everything and everybody behind, including her son and her newborn baby girl, to fight alongside the Turkish forces at the height of the war wreaking havoc in eastern Turkey.

"God gave me this baby, He will protect him as well," she said, putting her...