Turkey maintains a conscription army and all male citizens are required to serve. Turkey doesn’t even allow conscientious objectors. Although local artist Firat Erdim has lived in the United States since he was 12, he’s always known he’d have to serve. It was just a question of when.  At a certain point he just couldn’t take the stress of putting it off anymore.

Erdim tells us how he completed his military service in Turkey by paying for a special expedited three week course which included a chance to hold a rifle, aim and fire three bullets.