The night of the July 15 coup attempt has been etched into the nation's collective memory with stories of its heroes, including Ömer Halisdemir, a non-commissioned officer whose actions particularly stand out for their valor. Halisdemir was credited with dealing a major blow to putschist ambitions when he killed a military general and senior figure in the coup attempt. He was killed by the general's entourage and the posthumous fame he gained has turned his grave into a proverbial site of pilgrimage. Local officials in his hometown in central Turkey say the 42-year-old man's grave has received about 500,000 visitors since his burial following the coup attempt. People from all across Turkey and abroad have visited the humble grave in Çukurkuyu, a small district in the central province of Niğde, praying and reciting verses from the Quran in admiration of his patriotic act.The number of visitors peaked during last week's Qurban Bayram holiday, locals say. Amid tears and sometimes solemn silence, visitors pay respect to Halisdemir, who was an aide to Zekai Aksakallı, a commander of the army's elite Special Forces. The officer was killed by the coup plotters after he shot dead Brigadier General Semih Terzi outside the headquarters of the Special Forces Command in the capital Ankara. Terzi was about to enter the headquarters and take it over in a bid by coup plotters to capture strategic locations on July 15. If the headquarters was captured by the putschists, it might have dealt a blow to the efforts to stave off the coup attempt as only the Special Forces and law enforcement agencies were able to resist the putsch attempt, along with unarmed civilians who bravely stood against tanks and pro-coup soldiers. Some 241 people were killed by coup plotters who opened fire on anyone standing against them while thousands were injured.Aksakallı was not at the headquarters at the time, and managed to escape from the coup troops who sought to kill him. He later recounted how he ordered Halisdemir by phone to shoot Terzi. "This was my last order to him, and I told him it was a fatal task. He said only 'Yes, sir,'" Aksakallı told Turkish media after the coup attempt was foiled. Halisdemir, hiding behind a tree in the headquarters' courtyard, shot Terzi in the head while the latter was walking towards the entrance. Other coup-participating troops immediately slaughtered the sergeant following Terzi's death, in dramatic moments captured on security camera footage. After the revelation of his actions on the night of the coup attempt, public sympathy poured in for the officer who worked as an aide for Aksakallı for nearly two decades. Newborns are being named after him while a university in Niğde and several streets across Turkey are also being named after Halisdemir.İleri Koçak, district mayor of Çukurkuyu and a friend of the late Halisdemir, said visitors have come from as far as the easternmost city of Van and northwestern province of Edirne. "We are proud of him," Koçak said. "Ömer is definitely a hero and did what any Turkish citizen would do in such a situation," he says. Koçak says a high number of visitors showed how sensitive the Turkish public is to the actions of Halisdemir. "If it wasn't for him, thousands of people might have died," Koçak said. The coup plotters were planning to use the Special Forces as additional manpower in their efforts to take over Turkey or at least, to curb the resistance by Special Forces troops. Several Special Forces soldiers already sided with the coup plotters were awaiting for Terzi's arrival but the putschists' sudden death caused panic among them and ensuing clashes between anti-coup officers and pro-coup ones halted the takeover. "Everybody is aware of his deed and we are grateful to everyone valuing Ömer's acts," İleri Koçak says.