The prospect of success in the near future pleases me so much that I tell the battalion commander that I am prepared to be our regiment's 'fedai' when the new offensive starts .He is delighted.
fedai--means a 'man of sacrifice.'An ancient Islamic concept akin to Japanese kamikaze.
It is a very old and long Turkish military system. Actually they were called in the long history of Ottoman Turkish Army as "Serdengecti" which means that "those who gave up living"
Ser= is an persian origin word used by Turks means head
serdar= ruler, commander
serden= from the head
gecti= gone, gave up.
Serdengecti warriors of Turkish Army were lightly equipped. They had only bows arrowas and a Turkish sytle sword. They were mobile, quick and hard to resist, well trained soldiers. They had no armour. Serdengeci were the first ones to attack the enemy. They demoralized the enemy.