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[Arni]

I had longer not the time to visit this Forums and the splendid people here. The reson? Simple. Military happen.

I happen to live in an country where every healthy male (not exactly what I do call Social equality. If a woman wants to she can join the military though) citizen has to endure military training and serve nearly 1 year (either in one go or in blocks of a few weeks for years to come) in the military.

I also happen to be male and healthy... So I was forced into military service.

It's not that I want pity. I just want to share my experiances with you and hear if someone else here made any similiar experiance.

It's some 24 weeks ago now i arrived at the Baracks i was ordered to. Still in my beloved civilian clothes (Yes, it's luxury when you can actually decide what you want to wear!)
First day we had some basic drills. How to greet higher ups etc.
Second day we were to grab the equipment; Camouflage suit, Rife, other military clothes, gas mask, Bags, Rucksacks, Boots etc.

Then the unfriendly part began. Organisation was like... chaotic. We ran to wait and we waited to run. Brushing your shoes under timepressure. March. Rifle drills. Actually firing the rifle (Eventhough I do like play egoshooters I hate firing a rifle in real life. So much about egoshooters make people go postal) March more. To be exact 8 km. Doesn't sound to hard, does it? With 25kg additional weight from your mostly useless equpment it's a different story for many of the bit weaker. Being rather large I was to carry an other guys equpment as well. Oh fun. Then 15 km during the night. Funny to paint your face with those weird green and brown colors. But it's a horror to get it out of your beard. (Yes, luckily you can keep your beard in this military if you had one before. So my notyetdwarven beard did not have to be cut off)
We had a survival week. Sleeping on concrete floor of a car hall with as much as a realy thing mat and a sleeping bag is not so comfy. I prefered when we finally were allowed to set camp on a meadow. So soft... but quite cold in the night...
Last part of the survival week was a 25 km march. After 18 km I suffered a march fracture. My foot just hurt but stupid as I am i kept gonig on. Had never a broken bone before and not planing on doing so I thought it was just a sore tendon.
After one week I decided on visiting the military doctor. He supported my sore tendon theory and just gave me a few painkillers. Another week passed with running around on my broken foot and actually do an obstacle parcour with a 3m jump down I went again to the military doctor. Those doctors there are serving as well as militia and changed every 3 weeks. So I got to an other. Next thing I know is being sent on emergency to an hospital.

As it's realy difficult to fix march fractures with an operation and mostly not needed you just get a hard sole. Military boots have a such. The doctor strict forbid any kind of sports for the next month. Even longer if I should feel not ready.
So it got for me easier. But stupidly with the 25km march the basic military training ended and what was up next? Technical training. Being in IT I was assigned there as well in the Military. Plugging together servers and clients. Much better than crawling though mud and the like.

The computers must be placed inside. And what could be more inside than a bunker? Keeping the system running for a week.
So we arrived there. Had to unlaod everything within 10 minutes and then set up the system. After that we had to watch it run and guard it. In the Bunker. Not allowed to leave it. Goodbye daylight.
First thing that goes whoop is the sense of time. You have NO idea what daytime it is outside. When staying longer in a bunker you are likely to suffer quite bad depression due to the lack of daylight. So bunkers are all painted in happy colors.
I had several stays in bunkers after being pushed around to differend companys and tasks. (I guess someone in the administration fucked up). So I was once just sitting in an old bunker (no happy colors). Having nothing to do i was just haning around in that darn dim lit thing. When leaving the twilight of the buker i've been stunned by the sun. It like a hit in the face by the sun. Quite interesting...

Thanks to the military (and partially of the fucked up administration that pushed me to all sort of tasks I was not supposed to do) I had the chance to experiance some interesting things. Using nightvision, firing rifle, cooking in an rather industral military kitchen, be co-pilot of a truckdriver reading maps and so on.

Looking back it wasn't all bad. Especialy during the month with the broken foot I learned some interesting things.

But enougth talk. What's the situation in your country? Professional Military with volunary soldiers? Militia army? What experiance with military or similiar things you have?

[lemon10]

What country do you live in?

[Heliman]

It's not that I want pity. I just want to share my experiances with you and hear if someone else here made any similiar experiance.

As a matter of fact...

[Aqizzar]

Not to mention our old buddy Strife, who's currently one of the "last" American soldiers still humping it in Iraq.

Interesting stuff though friend, although it would be slightly more informative to hear where you're from.  English obviously isn't your first language (you're not bad by the way, it's just obvious), which leaves pretty much the whole world except maybe Israel, which would have been my first guess.

[olemars]

Sounds very much like typical nordic conscription.

[sneakey pete]

Bunkers, meadows, cold.. Switzerland.

[Akigagak]

Switzerland sounds like the most likely.

In Britain, it's voluntary, and there are two kinds of military; The Regulars and the Territorials.

The Regulars are... well... your regular force of professional soldiers. Basic Training takes 6 months, and after that you are officially a soldier and get your first hat. After that, you either go directly into your duties, or into more specialist training in order to get a fancier hat. The colour and fanciness of the hats donate your area of expertise and occasionally your rank in the army. You also get the right to take out the badass Redcoat for weddings and such.

The Territorials are part-time soldiers. Think of a militia, and you've got it: people who train during the time they're not working. There are TA posiitions for a good wide section of the army, but more important and specialist roles are off-limits.

Now, it used to be that the TA would only provide support to the Regular, but after the government decide to hack a great chunk of the military budget, that's all changed. They want the TA to be taking a more active role, and decided to force this through by eating a large portion of the forces. Thousands of jobs were lost, most soldiers falling downwards into the TA.

So, oddly, it's very hard to get into the armed forces at the moment, because they aren't recruiting... which is I think a first in British history.


I have a friend in Isreal who is currently 2 years into his 4-year compulsory service, and he hates it because he was forced into it. While I'm currently trying my hardest to get into the army here.

[Strife26]

Switzerland's a full time militia type deal, with everyone keeping an assault rifle in their closet. I'd guess one nordic countries, as with Olemars.

United States Army for me, voluntary, deployed. Had some pretty shitty times, but I do well enough.

[Pnx]

Switzerland's a full time militia type deal, with everyone keeping an assault rifle in their closet. I'd guess one nordic countries, as with Olemars.

Yet funnily enough I heard that Switzerland has low gun crime rates. I guess if guns are legal you should be issuing them out to people.

[Svarte Troner]

I'd gladly join a European military if they gave me duel citizenship. Unfortunately the only country I'm aware of that does this is France... Guess I'll just have to get in throuh university 

[Arni]

Bunkers, meadows, cold.. Switzerland.

True
The country that hasn't been in war since being overrun by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Switzerland's a full time militia type deal, with everyone keeping an assault rifle in their closet. I'd guess one nordic countries, as with Olemars.

Yeha, and take the rifle out for a walk sometimes (Obligatory firearms training every year)
And when you're on the way to the next 300m shooting range why not drop by the Apple Store on the way?

Yet funnily enough I heard that Switzerland has low gun crime rates. I guess if guns are legal you should be issuing them out to people.

Lower crime rates comes with a high standart of living.

English obviously isn't your first language (you're not bad by the way, it's just obvious)

It appears that I have to go again into learning english.

I'd gladly join a European military if they gave me duel citizenship. Unfortunately the only country I'm aware of that does this is France... Guess I'll just have to get in throuh university 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion
Funfact: For swiss citizens it's not possible to join. It counts as treason to serve in any other army than the swiss.

[Agorp Stronden]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion

"The Foreign Legion is today known as an elite military unit whose training focuses not only on traditional military skills but also on its strong esprit de corps."

With the body counts the Legion rakes, morale is fairly kept among most.

[Grakelin]

The patriotism for Switzerland implies that the OP is indeed in Switzerland.

My father is in the Canadian Forces, and he's expressed the opinion that Canada should have a mandatory service system similar to places in Europe.

Then again, he also voted Conservative.

[Criptfeind]

The patriotism for Switzerland implies that the OP is indeed in Switzerland.

Also when he confirmed someone elses guess is a bit of a hint to that effect.

[Zrk2]

Then again, he also voted Conservative.

Prefer the Orange Crush? /derail

Anyway, I'm from Canada too, and know one person in the army, he'll be going to Afghanistan in several months to help training the police.