On the night of the coup, Mehmet Köşe, originally from Rize, captured one of the putschist tanks and drove it with such ease as if he had done it his whole life. It is this act of bravery that marks him as one of the unforgettable people of that night.
Working as a truck driver at the Metropolitan Municipality and having four children, Mehmet was called in for duty as the coup attempt cleared on the evening of July 15th. Standing guard until the early morning, he was assigned with removing the tank captured by citizens from the road. As the crane was not capable of doing so, he found a solution with his quick wit, he went into the tank and started to control it himself. He learned to drive the tank in mere minutes, and drove it to Hasanpaşa İETT garage through the E-5 highway. Quickly his story spread on the Internet, the footage garnered great attraction on social media.
“I did not hesitate at all”
Mehmet talked about the events of that night, “I was called in for duty as soon as the events occurred. I work as a truck driver at the Metropolitan Municipality. We were on duty until morning. We were told that the tank captured by citizens was in the way. Metropolitan Municipality sent us a crane. We went there. We saw that the crane was not able to carry 55 tons. Then I asked for the keys. We went inside. I got it started in five minutes. Then I drove it. I served in the military as a commando. I only saw a tank from the outside before. If you ask me if I hesitated, my answer is I did not. I tried to drive it as a regular vehicle and I could, with God's will.”
Noting that there was no support from his hometown Rize for the 1980 coup, Mehmet said that his next goal is to drive a plane and a helicopter. He also thanked the people for protecting the democracy that night.
