Korean War veteran from Türkiye’s Mardin honored with peace medal in Los Angeles
The Consulate General of Türkiye in Los Angeles visited him in July and shared, "Today, we had the honor of meeting our Korean War veteran Gevriyi Bekdaş. He still proudly wears his Independence Medal on his chest." 2024. (Photo via Consulate General of Türkiye in Los Angeles)
A special medal ceremony was held in Los Angeles, California, to honor 96-year-old Gevriyi Bekdas, a Korean War veteran originally from Mardin, Türkiye. Bekdas was awarded the “Peace Medal” in recognition of his service during the war.
The event was jointly organized by the Consulates General of Türkiye and South Korea in Los Angeles. Bekdas, of Syriac descent and born in 1929, has been residing in California since 1984.
Recognition for a Korean War veteran
Türkiye’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Sinan Kuzum, learned about Bekdas and reached out to the South Korean Consulate General to organize the event. Together with their colleagues, they visited the veteran at the nursing home where he resides.
During the ceremony, representatives from the South Korean Consulate General presented Bekdas with the “Peace Medal” for his contributions during the war.
Speaking at the event, Kuzum emphasized that Türkiye not only fought to protect South Korean allies but also defended democratic values. He highlighted that the war forged an unbreakable bond of brotherhood between the two nations. Expressing gratitude, Kuzum honored Bekdas for his service and sacrifice.
Three years as a prisoner of war
Recalling his military service, Bekdas shared his memories from the Korean War. He was deployed to South Korea as an infantryman in September 1950 but was severely wounded in battle on November 29, 1950, in North Korea.
“I was captured by Communist Chinese forces while wounded and spent three years as a prisoner of war in China,” Bekdas recounted. “The prison camp was freezing cold. We, the Turkish soldiers, slept close together to keep warm. If I had been with soldiers from another country, I would not have survived.”
He described the harsh conditions of captivity, stating that their daily food ration consisted of only a handful of corn kernels. “Some of our friends knew how to cook and made soup out of it, but food was always scarce,” he said.
Declared dead but returned home
Bekdas revealed that after his release, he sent a telegram home from Tokyo, but his brother refused to believe he was still alive. “He asked me to name the family’s farmland, something only we would know. When I answered correctly, he finally believed it was me,” he recalled.
During his years in captivity, his family had no news of his fate. Thinking he had died in battle, the local Syriac church in Mardin even held a symbolic funeral ceremony for him.
Decades later, Bekdas still carries shrapnel fragments in the left side of his body from a mortar explosion. “If they told me there was another war and asked me to fight, I would still go—even at the age of 96,” he said with unwavering determination.
