Grandpa detained for not reporting for military service

Turkish grandpa detained for not reporting for military service 51 years ago
at 8:18 on June 10, 2005, EST.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - At age 71, Sukru Hati probably thought joining the military was the last thing he had to worry about.

Hati, who has 20 grandchildren, was applying for free government health care when he was detained in the southern city of Mersin on Friday for not reporting for mandatory military service in 1954, the Anatolia news agency reported.

"I was supposed to go to military service 51 years ago. But I was sick then. I'd had a stroke, I had a hernia. That's why I didn't go," Anatolia quoted him as saying.

Military service is mandatory for Turkish men, who are normally expected to complete 15 months of service before the age of 41.

Anatolia said authorities would decide whether Hati would have to enlist.


Sukru Hati