Atatürk was born in 1881 at the Kocakas?m ward of Salonika, in a three story pink house located on Islahhane Street. His father is Ali R?za Efendi and his mother Zübeyde Han?m. His paternal grandfather, Haf?z Ahmed Efendi belonged to the Kocac?k nomads who were settled in Macedonia during the XIV - XV th centuries. His mother Zübeyde Han?m was the daughter of an Old Turkish family who had settled in the town of Langasa near Salonika. Ali R?za Efendi, who worked as militia officer, title deed clerk and lumber trader, married Zübeyde Han?m in 1871. Four of the 5 siblings of Atatürk died at early ages and only one sister, Makbule (Atadan) survived, and lived until 1956. Upon reaching school age, little Mustafa started school at the neighborhood classes of Haf?z Mehmet Efendi and later, with his father's choice, was transferred to ?emsi Efendi School. He lost his father in 1888 where upon he stayed at the farm of his maternal uncle for a while and returned to Salonika to complete his studies. He registered at the Salonika Mülkiye Rü?tiye (secondary school) and soon transferred to the military Rü?tiye. While at this school, his math teacher, also named Mustafa, added "Kemal" to his name. He attended the Manast?r Military School between 1896 - 1899 and later the Military School in ?stanbul from which he graduated in 1902 with the rank of lieutenant. He later entered the Military Academy and graduated on January 11, 1905 with the rank of major. Between 1905 - 1907 he was stationed in Damascus with the 5th. Army. In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of "Kola?as?" (senior major) and was posted with the III rd Army , which was stationed in Manast?r. He was the Staff Officer of the "Special Troops" (Hareket Ordusu) which entered ?stanbul on April 19, 1909. He was sent to Paris in 1910 where he attended the Picardie manuevers. In 1911 he started to work at the General Staff Office in ?stanbul. Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Tobruk and Derne regions with a group of his friends during the war which started with the Italian attack on Tripoli. He won the Tobruk battle in 22 December 1911 against the Italians. On March 6, 1912 he was made the Commander of Derne. When the Balkan War started in October 1912, Mustafa Kemal joined the battle with units from Gallipoli and Bolay?r. His contributions to the recapturing of Dimetoka and Edirne were considerable. In 1913 he was assigned to Sofia as a military attache. In 1914, while still at this post, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His term as an attache ended in January 1915. By that time the First World War had started and the ottomon Empire was inevitably involved. Mustafa Kemal was posted to Tekirda? with the assignment of forming the 19th Division. Mustafa Kemal put his signature under a legend of heroism at Çanakkale during the First World War, which had started in 1914, and had the Allied Powers admit to the fact that "Çanakkale is unpassable!" On March 18, 1915 when the English and French navies in an attempt to force their way up the Çanakkale Strait gave heavy loses, they decided to put units on land at Gallipoli Peninsula. The enemy forces which landed at Ar?burnu on 25 April 1915 were stopped by 19th Divison under Mustafa Kemal's command at Conkbay?r?. Mustafa Kemal was promoted to the rank of colonel after this victory. English forces attacked at Ar?burnu once more on 6-7 August 1915. Mustafa Kemal, as the Commander of the Anafartalar Forces won the Anafartalar Victory on 6-7 August 1915. This victory was followed by the victories of Kireçtepe on Aug