Col. "Tip" Stinnette, 39th Air Base Wing Commander, and Vitali Mesulam, Jewish Society in Adana member, plant rose bushes in honor of Selahattin Ulkumen, Turkish consul-general on the Island of Rhodes in 1944, at Arkadas Park on 20 April. Mr. Ulkumen saved 50 Jews from the Nazis during World War II. (U. S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Nevison) (RELEASED)
Col. "Tip" Stinnette, 39th Air Base Wing Commander, presents the opening remarks during rose planting ceremony in honor of Selahattin Ulkumen, Turkish consul-general on the Island of Rhodes in 1944, at Arkadas Park on 20 April. Mr. Ulkumen saved 50 Jews from the Nazis during World War II. (U. S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Nevison) (RELEASED)
by Airman 1st Class Nathan W. Lipscomb
39th Communication Squadron
4/23/2007 - Incirlik Air Base, Turkey -- Members of Team Incirlik came together to honor two heroes during the Crescent/Star Holocaust Observance Ceremony at Arkadas Park, April 20. Selahattin Ulkumen, Turkish consul-general on the Island of Rhodes in 1944, and Liviu Librescu, an Israeli engineering and math lecturer at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, were honored at the ceremony.
Col. "Tip" Stinnette, 39th Air Base Wing commander, opened the observance by reflecting on the events that took place at Virginia Tech April 16 and to honor Mr. Librescu, a survivor of the Holocaust. He was known for his research in aeronautical engineering, and is now known for saving the lives of his students as he blockaded the door of his classroom until he was killed impeding the entry of the gunman.
"This past week a tragic event happened in Blacksburg, Va., at the campus of Virginia Tech," said Colonel Stinnette. "Over 65 years ago another tragic event happened that we were also witnesses to, and believe it or not the events that happened at Virginia Tech and the events that happened over 65 years ago are linked together."
Capt. Aaron Scheer, 728th Air Mobility Squadron, and Memhet Birbiri, 39th ABW host nation advisor, then spoke about Mr. Ulkumen who saved 50 Jews from the Nazis, 13 of which were Turkish citizens. Ulkumen rescued 25 to 30 people by fabricating a law stating that spouses of Turkish citizens were considered citizens themselves. In retaliation, German planes later bombed the Turkish consulate, killing Mr. Ulkumen's pregnant wife and unborn child. He was honored with Turkey's Supreme Service Medal, and also declared a Righteous Gentile by Yad Vashem at the Israel's Holocaust Memorial in 1990.
Afterward, Colonel Stinnette and Vitali Mesulam, Jewish Society in Adana member, planted three rose bushes next to a plaque in tribute of Mr. Ulkumen, followed by a moment of silence.
