Onur Kılıç (23), who tried to stop the tank under the control of the coup plotters in ISTANBUL on July 15, 2016, was martyred by sniper fire. Stating that they received the news of his martyrdom in Rize, where they went the day before for his son Onur Kılıç's engagement, Yüksel Kılıç said, "Two days before July 15, we were going to go to the hometown to ask for a girl. The deceased did not come, he said, 'I will come on Friday'. Onur opposed me for the first time that day. I got angry, saying 'Why don't you come, we are going for you'. Onur opposed me for the first time that day, he did not come." Stating that they talked to his son on the phone on the night of July 15, Kılıç said, "We gave Onur advice to protect himself, protect himself, stay away. He said, 'Father, the homeland or me? I came here for my homeland.' My son was very brave. You can live without a child, but you cannot live without a homeland."
Onur Kılıç, who lives with his family in Ümraniye, was going to get engaged in Rize a few days after July 15, 2016. While his family went to his hometown for the pre-engagement preparations, Kılıç stayed in Istanbul, saying "I will come on the engagement day." While watching television at home on the night of the coup attempt, Kılıç saw the tanks on the Bosphorus Bridge and went first to Kısıklı and then to the bridge. Askerliğini tank şoförü olarak yapan Kılıç, tanktaki askerlere müdahale ettiği sırada köprüde bulunan keskin nişancıların açtığı ateş sonucu şehit oldu. The news of his martyrdom reached his family in Rize in the morning.
'We were going to go to our hometown to ask for a girl, but the deceased did not come'
Martyr Onur Kılıç's father, Yüksel Kılıç, said, "My Onur was a very brave son. He was very fond of me, but he was even more fond of his mother. We lost Onur, but we gained a thousand Onur. Onur set an example for many young people for his homeland. Before July 15, we were going to go to our hometown on Wednesday evening to ask for a girl. The deceased did not come. He said, 'I will come on Friday.' Onur opposed me for the first time that day, he did not come. I told him, 'Why don't you come? We are going for you.' I got angry. That's what happened on Friday. It was as if death had called, or it felt that way. That's why we went to our hometown, Rize. We made preparations for Onur to arrive on Friday, July 15th. We came back. Onur would come, we would make a promise to him. His girlfriend's eyes were on the road. "He and we were always waiting," he said.
HE SAID, 'I WILL DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY FOR MY COUNTRY'
Yüksel Kılıç, who had his last conversation with his son on the evening of July 15, said, "At that time, they said, 'There is a state of emergency.' We went to the center of Rize. We talked on the phone at around 11 in the evening. We gave Onur advice to protect himself, protect himself, stay away. 'Dad, is it the homeland or me? I came here for my homeland.' he said. He also lectured us as if he were reproaching us. He said, 'I will do whatever is necessary for my country, you don't have to worry' and he did it. Our last conversation was on the evening of July 15, around 22.30-23.00. "We couldn't talk again," he said.
'When I learned that Onur had been shot, it was as if a dagger had been stabbed at me'
Kılıç said, "The news of the martyrdom came to us between 04.00 and 04.30. We, 25-30 people, had gone from the village to the center of Rize. When I learned that Onur had been shot, it was like a dagger stabbed me. My son was one of the first martyrs on the bridge on the evening of July 15. When the sad news came, we were all devastated, but there was nothing we could do. We praised and thanked God because our country was involved. The roads, "As the airports were always closed, we took a minibus from Rize to Istanbul and arrived in Istanbul in 11-12 hours. Onur's girlfriend cried more than us. But she did not leave anything after the funeral," he said.
Stating that his son was a tank driver in the military, Kılıç said, "My son was a soldier in Diyarbakır, he was very brave. I called Onur at 19.45 or 20.00 in the evening. 'Son, where are you?' I said. He said, 'Dad, we are now in front of the Ümraniye police station.' 'What are you doing there?' I said. There is an uprising, there will probably be a revolution. "The tanks were on the bridge, we gathered in front of the police station," he said. There was a fellow commissioner here at the police station. He was with him, they said, 'Don't leave us, they will come to attack this place.' Then it was 20.00-21.00. A report comes to the police station saying, 'The tanks on the bridge will come to hit President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's house.' They immediately and quickly went to Kısıklı. "Since he had a tank achievement certificate, they allowed him to go to the bridge when he showed the document at the police station in Kısıklı."
'HE WAS SHOT IN THE HEART AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE OPENED BY A SNIPER'
Kılıç said, "According to his friends, Onur shows the soldier inside the tank his tank driver certificate, which he received during his military service, and convinces him to take him out by saying, 'I was also a tank driver in the military.' Then, when he tried to get into the tank, he was shot in the heart as a result of the fire opened by a sniper. When Onur was shot, his friends made him testify. Then they took him to a private hospital in Altunizade on a motorcycle. My son was martyred on the bridge. But his friends still took him to the hospital."
'WE WON A SECOND ÇANAKKALE VICTORY ON JULY 15'
Onur Kılıç's father stated that despite the 10 years that have passed, his pain is as fresh as the first day, and said, "My wife was able to come to her senses only after 3 years. I still cry in the streets, but my wife always kept it to herself. Not an hour or a day goes by when we don't remember Onur. Our consolation is that Onur did his duty for his country. 10 years have passed since July 15, but our pain has not subsided. It's like yesterday, you can't forget. A second Çanakkale on July 15. "We won the victory. One can live without a child, but one cannot live without a homeland. Onur was a tradesman, he had a gallery. He started his education in the Electrical and Electronics Department. He was 23 when he was martyred. If he had lived, he would have been 33 years old. May the souls of all our martyrs rest in peace."