Born in 1948, Brig. Gen. Hilmi Akin Zorlu was commissioned from the Army Military Academy as an infantry lieutenant in 1970. He was educated at the Turkish Army Staff College, the Turkish Armed Forces Staff College and the US Army Command and General Staff College.
Brigadier General Hilmi Akin ZORLU was the first commander of SEEBRIG.
During his service in the Army, he commanded various levels of units from platoon to brigade. Brig. Gen. ZORLU has served at Turkish General Staff HQ for six years. He also served three years at NATO HQ in Belgium.
Before joining the South – Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), he commanded an Armored Brigade.
He was assigned as the first commander of SEEBRIG between 1999-2001.
UPDATE: He passed away in his country on 14 July 2014 following his retirement as Lieutenant General. His exceptional contributions to SEEBRIG as the 1st Commander of SEEBRIG will always be remembered and appreciated.