The Turkish law obliges any male citizen to perform his military duty for 18 months. The army issue began shortly before Tarkan left Turkey, and it caused a struggle never seen before. Tarkan first refused the idea completely, announcing he was pacifist. Some very uncomplimentary remarks he made about the Turkish politics against the Kurds caused him more enemies. After Tarkan realized the seriousness of the situation, he tried to postpone the military service. The Turkish government could not decide his future because while the Ministry of Defence considered him a traitor, the Ministry of Culture tried to protect him, drawing attention to his importance as cultural ambassador. The final decision was still not in Tarkan's favor: he was to be deprieved of Turkish citizenship. In Turkey nothing awaited him but tribunal and jail.

Why all that noise? The matter is that Turkey has some thousands of people who avoid the military service, and Tarkan had to be an example showing that no one could resist the law

A new law saved the situation. Tarkan, as a resident of US, could reduce his military service by paying a fee. So, having only some personal things and a philosophic book, he stopped being a star for a while and became exactly the same as the others. He served in Malatya, close to Kurd borders. They say he was very disciplined and good in shooting...

Well done, private Tarkan! Your journey continues...
To see Tarkan saying good-bye to his army friends click here (download)