VOICES FROM THE FRONT: TURKISH SOLDIERS ON THE WAR WITH THE KURDISH GUERRILLAS; TRANS. BY AYSE GUL ALTINAY

Annotation These riveting first-hand accounts of Turkish soldiers who have fought in the internal war against Kurdish guerillas speak to universals: the shock of entering military life and the traumas of warfare; the changes in personality and relations with family and friends; the lingering emotional effects of violence; and the difficulties in returning to the "real world." Mater's reportage is in the best tradition of revealing the surreal, illuminating the universal truth of war's devastation. At a time when American troops are again caught in a vicious insurgency, the Kurdish issue has high visibility, and Turkey is a major actor in the Middle East, the experiences of these former soldiers resonate Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Foreword......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Preface......Page 16 1 I Came Back Without Having Seen the Enemy......Page 26 2 A Twenty-Year-Old Youngster is Going.........Page 30 3 I Became a Soldier with a Beard......Page 34 4 If Soldiers Had the Opportunity, They Would Run Away......Page 40 5 To Escape Military Service, You Need to Stay Away From Bread......Page 44 6 The Donkey Was Looking at Me ... Should I Shoot Him Right Here? I Asked Myself.........Page 48 7 It Is Up to the Poor to Protect the Homeland; the Rich know How to Go About It.........Page 56 8 My Mother Asks, "Where Is Muş?"......Page 64 9 I Slapped him Twice; He could not Understand Why He was Being Beaten.........Page 76 10 "I Have to Control My Nerves"......Page 82 11 Time Doesn't Pass There; It Is as if Time Has Frozen.........Page 92 12 The Greatest Advantage of the State Is to Send the Twenty-Year-Old Youth to the Region......Page 98 13 Another Reward for Being a Veteran Is that Nobody Lets You Marry Their Daughter......Page 106 14 At Least I Sort of Saved Myself......Page 112 15 On the One Hand, There Is Great Respect and Love, but on the Other, There Is Brutality......Page 120 16 1313: The Number Inscribed on My Arm......Page 124 17 I Love All Human Beings; Even the Terrorists We Captured......Page 132 18 We Took Out the Powder from Our Bullets and Inscribed Our Remaining Days......Page 138 19 I, Too, Lived that Festive Day......Page 148 20 You Can't Finish Your Military Service by Running Away from It; You Have to Go Through It......Page 154 21 Turkey's Balances Are Disturbed......Page 160 22 If I Knew an Alternative for Evading Military Service, I Would Advise the Youth to Take It......Page 166 23 I Definitely Wouldn't Send My Child into Military Service......Page 172 24 I Ordered the Soldier to Kill the Dog; There Was No Other Way......Page 180 25 What Would a Woman's Voice Do There? You Hear It because You Are Lonely.........Page 188 26 I Became a Terrorist, Like They Said, a Real Terrorist.........Page 198 27 Our Nickname among the Terrorists Was "Battalion of Bastards"......Page 204 28 I Didn't Live up to the Uniform I Wore......Page 214 29 They Call It the "Invisible Enemy": My Only Fear Was the Landmine and I Stepped on One.........Page 220 30 I Was Frightened. Instantly, I Thought of Death, of Dying.........Page 228 31 We Kept Asking, "Why Us?" But then We Realized that There Was No Way Out.........Page 234 32 Real Military Service Starts Here......Page 244 33 We Should Be the Ones Who Sanctify Life, not Death!......Page 252 34 Soldiers are the Ones Experiencing This Pain, I Mean the Conscripted Privates.........Page 260 35 Mother, I Survived Another Day......Page 268 36 These Were Moments When We Missed Death......Page 276 37 Am I an Idiot? Are the People Who Go There Idiots?......Page 284 38 While Everybody Is Sunbathing and Enjoying Themselves, We Go into an Operation!......Page 290 39 They Called Me "The Old Soldier"......Page 296 40 No Blood-for-Blood......Page 302 41 I Don't Even Own a Piece of Land as Big as This Ashtray; Which Land Am I Going to Defend?......Page 306 42 In Place of the Ones Who Cannot Talk......Page 316 43 Numbers.........Page 324 D......Page 332 K......Page 333 P......Page 334 Z......Page 335 I Came Back Without Having Seen The Enemy -- A Twenty-year-old Youngster Is Going ... -- I Became A Soldier With A Beard -- If Soldiers Had The Opportunity, They Would Run Away -- To Escape Military Service, You Need To Stay Away From Bread -- The Donkey Was Looking At Me : Should I Shoot Him Right Here? I Asked Myself ... -- It Is Up To The Poor To Protect The Homeland : The Rich Know How To Go About It ... -- My Mother Asks, Where Is The Muş? -- I Slapped Him Twice, He Could Not Understand Why He Was Being Beaten ... -- I Have To Control My Nerves -- Time Doesn't Pass There : It Is As If Time Has Frozen ... -- The Greatest Advantage Of The State Is To Send The Twenty-year-old Youth To The Region -- Another Reward For Being A Veteran Is That Nobody Lets You Marry Their Daughter -- At Least I Sort Of Saved Myself -- On The One Hand, There Is Great Respect And Love, But On The Other, There Is Brutality -- 1313 : The Number Inscribed On My Arm --^ I Love All Human Beings : Even The Terrorists We Captured -- We Took The Powder From Our Bullets And Inscribed Our Remaining Days -- I, Too, Lived That Festive Day -- You Can't Finish Your Military Service By Running Away From It : You Have To Go Through It -- Turkey's Balances Are Disturbed -- If I Knew An Alternative For Evading Military Service, I Would Advise The Youth To Take It -- I Definitely Wouldn't Send My Child Into Military Service -- I Ordered The Soldier To Kill The Dog : There Was No Other Way -- What Would A Woman's Voice Do There? You Hear It Because You Are Lonely ... -- I Became A Terrorist, Like They Said, A Real Terrorist ... -- Our Nickname Among The Terrorists Was Battalion Of Bastards -- I Didn't Live Up To The Uniform I Wore -- They Call It The Invisible Enemy : My Only Fear Was The Landmine And I Stepped On One ... -- I Was Frightened : Instantly, I Thought Of Death, Of Dying ... --^ We Kept Asking, Why Us? But Then We Realized That There Was No Way Out ... -- Real Military Service Starts Here -- We Should Be The Ones Who Sanctify Life, Not Death! -- Soldiers Are The Ones Experiencing This Pain, I Mean The Conscripted Privates ... -- Mother, I Survived Another Day -- These Were Moments When We Missed Death -- Am I An Idiot? Are The People Who Go There Idiots? -- While Everybody Is Sunbathing And Enjoying Themselves, We Go Into An Operation! -- They Called Me The Old Soldier -- No Blood-for-blood -- I Don't Even Own A Piece Of Land As Big As This Ashtray : Which Land Am I Going To Defend? -- In Place Of The Ones Who Cannot Talk -- Numbers ... Nadire Mater ; Translated By Ayşe Gül Altinay ; With A Foreword By Cynthia Enloe. Includes Index. These riveting first-hand accounts of Turkish soldiers who have fought in the nasty internal war against the Kurds speak to universals: the shock of entering military life and the traumas of warfare; the changes in personality and relations with family and friends, the lingering emotional effects of violence, and the difficulties in returning to the'real world', to borrow a phrase from Vietnam vets. Corruption, disillusionment and despair alternate with the small victories of humanity overcoming hellish conditions. Mater's reportage is in the best tradition of revealing the surreal, illuminating the universal truth of war's devastation. At a time when American troops are again caught in a vicious insurgency, the Kurdish issue has high visibility, and Turkey is a major actor in the Middle East, the experiences of these former soldiers resonate. These riveting first-hand accounts of Turkish soldiers who have fought in the nasty internal war against the Kurds speak to universals: the shock of entering military life and the traumas of warfare; the changes in personality and relations with family and friends, the lingering emotional effects of violence, and the difficulties in returning to the 'real world', to borrow a phrase from Vietnam vets. Corruption, disillusionment and despair alternate with the small victories of humanity overcoming hellish conditions. Mater's reportage is in the best tradition of revealing the surreal, illuminating the universal truth of war's devastation. At a time when American troops are again caught in a vicious insurgency, the Kurdish issue has high visibility, and Turkey is a major actor in the Middle East, the experiences of these former soldiers resonate Corruption, disillusionment and despair alternate with the victories of humanity overcoming hellish conditions. These are the accounts of Turkish soldiers who have fought in the internal war against the Kurds. It covers topics such as the shock of entering military life and the traumas of warfare; and the changes in personality and relations