Korean War: Reinvigorated mateship for Aussies and Turks

To many Turks and Aussies, the Battle of Gallipoli is a significant part of their history. As every ANZAC ceremony held in Gallipoli suggests, it had been a cornerstone of their nation-building process and shaping of national identity. Likewise, the Korean War also has a special place in their mind, particularly more so for the Turks given that Koreans had been historically perceived as "Kan Karde?," meaning "blood brothers."

However, surprisingly, it is not so well-known in the public mind that both countries served "together" in the Korean War as comrades-in-arms, not as enemies as in Gallipoli. Like Australia, Turkey was also one of the first countries to join the U.N.-led coalition to fight against communism in Korea.

The Aussies and Turks are both very proud of their achievements in both battles, but no one seems to connect these two experiences together in one picture. 

In fact, the first people-to-people level mateship between the Aussies and Turks after the Battle of Gallipoli "started in the Korean War during the 1950-1953 period, fighting the fierce battle together," Kenan Çelik, Turkey's leading expert on the Gallipoli campaign, told me. 

The photograph above was taken on July 14, 1954, in Korea during the Korean War and is archived in the Australian War Memorial. 

The commander of the Turkish Regiment (left), Col. Kemal Madano?lu, and Lieutenant Col. S.H. Buckler (right), commander of the 3rd Battalion, are enjoying Col. Mandano?lu's farewell party at the Turkish Brigade. 

In the beginning, their friendship did not exactly start out rosily. When they first encountered each other in no-man's-land, they accidently fired at each other, mistaking one another for Chinese or North Koreans troops. There...