In response to the recent jihadi attack in Istanbul, one presidential candidate responded with bluster and promises to flail around at random and the other responded with bromides and boilerplate. What a wondrous age we live in.
The Turks responded by rounding up dozens of suspected terrorists and bombing the crap out of ISIS camps in Syria. They reopened the airport the very next day and as far as US news reporting went, held no group hugs or candlelight vigils.
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I once heard the following story about the Turks from a US soldier assigned to NATO. Turkish border guards on the border with Russia back in Soviet/NATO days used to draw straws. The winner would strip to his shorts, pull out a Sykes knife, and walk to the border. There, he would urinate onto Russian soil and, brandishing the knife, dare the Russian border guards to do something about it.
There were a similar stories told of Turks in the Korean war. Along with the Ethiopians, the Turks were the UN contingent the Chinese and North Koreans most feared falling into their hands.
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having traveled through their airport several times with my family, and spent but a few nights in Istanbul, I will add that the Turks love children and families. Love them, and can't get enough of them, as a rule.
ReplyDeleteI trust your next installment of the Crusades chronicles will be less admiring of the Turks (except perhaps for martial prowess). Which, since the topic has come up, when will that be?
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