Sisters adopted by US soldiers at Adana’s İncirlik base reunited after 22 years

ADANA

Two sisters who were adopted in the early 1990s by U.S. soldiers on duty at the İncirlik base in the southern province of Adana have reunited after 25 years.

Hatice Berberoğlu, 24, was adopted when she was three years old and her sister Seçil Berberoğlu, 25, was adopted in exchange for money by two U.S. soldiers at the base.

Hatice Berberoğlu was renamed Michelle Salery by her adopted family and Seçil Berberoğlu was renamed Britanny Louisse Quillen by her adopted family.

After learning that they were adopted, the two sisters found each other and visited Turkey to find their biological family.

In Turkey the sisters participated a TV reality show, on which they reunited with their mother and brothers. They also learned that they have two brothers who were also adopted by different U.S. soldiers at the İncirlik base.

Their mother said during the show that she had economic difficulties and confirmed that she gave her children to U.S. soldiers for money. She added that she had a total of 15 children.

“I have a family and a son in United States. I live with them, everything is going very well but it is nothing like Turkey. I have found the biological family and we are in contact. We are also fighting intensely for our two missing brothers, with both our parents and our biological parents … Most importantly, one day I want to live my life in Adana,” Quillen said.

“I was very saddened when my family told me I was adopted. I always wanted to find my biologic family. I wanted to be in my real home, wanted to be with my family. It’s nice to find them now and be in touch with them. We all look like each other. I speak English but I’m a Turk. We are looking for two missing brothers in Adana,” Salery said.

Investigation opened

The Adana Chief Prosecutor’s Office reportedly started an investigation into the incident on Jan. 10.

“Adana Chief Prosecutor’s Office has started an investigation after claims that U.S. soldiers adopted some babies in exchange for money during their duties at Adana’s İncirlik base between the 1980s and 1990s,” it said in a statement.

As part of the investigation the two sisters have also been called to the police headquarters in Adana for their testimonies.