When I got off the time machine, I realised that the machine had disappeared, but thankfully, no one had noticed me with my time machine. When I take a look around, I see old stone houses, old shops, and some horse carriages. I could feel the cold and soft wind on my face. This place looked so peaceful, and it had amazed me. The time machine showed the date 19th of May, 1919. This date was not just any day; it was a beginning, it was the start of a revolution. This day was the start of the War of Independence.
There was a large crowd that had gathered at the port. Children were holding their mothers’ hands. Everyone’s eyes were locked onto the Bandirma ferry, which was slowly coming into port. The ferry was not very big, but it still had the factor of historical importance. Black smoke was coming from the ship’s chimney.
While the ferry was approaching, inaudible murmurs began to rise from the crowd. Just when the ship had arrived, everyone was dead silent. Even the children seemed like they had understood the importance of this moment because they were silent too. When Mustafa Kemal got off the ship with a few officers with him, no one cheered, no one applauded, no one shouted. It was as if everyone had felt the importance of this moment in their hearts. Everyone was very respectful. They followed the orders of the police, who were there to stabilize the area.
Seeing Mustafa Kemal for the first time, experiencing this historical moment live, created an immense excitement inside me. I could not take my eyes off him. A boy from the crowd asked his mother: “Mom, who is this man?” His mother answered while looking at Mustafa Kemal: “Son, this man is our hope.” No one actually knew that the new Republic of Turkey would form and would win the war against the tyrants. Ataturk has always seen the youth as the protectors of the republic and the country. This is why he had gifted the 19th of May to the Turkish youth.