Have you been in the army

[Guardian]

Yup. One year mandatory. Enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Transferred to National Guard a few years later. Still serving there.
In the Norwegian National Guard, you're supposed to keep your personal gear at home so you can go straight into the field if it's ever needed again. For most soldiers, this also includes their personal weapon + ammo. I, however, got myself a wife who... well, let's just say she did NOT like the idea of having an assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammo lying around at our place...

So, in order to keep the peace in our home, I had to apply for permission to not have a weapon at home...

What happened?
Well, now I'm a machine gunner... My personal weapon weighs about 12 kg (around 26 pounds) empty, and it eats ammo like pop corn (puts out about 20 rounds a second if I let it...) -But, I don't take it home with me...

[Sir David]

I got placed in the Army as a medical-guy, and were supposed to join in june 2003. Then I got this asthma thing, so my doctor wrote to them and said I couldn´t do armed service.

The intelligent drafofficer then put me in the navy (cause there you don´t get asthma) - at some intelligence-service. This I did not want to do (one does not want to sit in some bunker or at a boat for a year and listen to the russian and NATO speakin over the radio).

But I had luck, to be able to be in the intelligence the securitypolice (SÄPO) must do a check on you to make sure "you are not a threat to the the national security" - I of course didn´t allow them to make this check - so now I am free again. (I am pretty sure they did check me tough, just cause I didn´t allow them).

So, I have been placed both in the army and the navy, buy I haven't served a day anywhere.

[The Pioneer]

Originally posted by paiktis22
Yeah, I feel all they did was train us for the parade

But let's face it, the "real job" is done by the volunteers. We are stocking stuffing (or cannon folder )

I was in the navy BTW.

I was a Pantofla and was in the Infantry (Lamia, Swma Ylikou, Loufa diladi)

So long...

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Tassadar5000
I don't see why anyone would want to go through the amount of lack of control and most of all the brainwashing that goes on...

Enlighten me

It's all a big game in a way, or at least that's how I looked at it. It's about having enough self control to at a minimum make fewer mistakes than someone else there. As most of the people that you are in with are teenagers, this is a very simple thing. It's difficult for them to stand straight, still and be quiet. I rather enjoyed it, especially more than hearing my fellow soldiers prattle on about themselves and all the wonderful things they have done. You look like a genius to your drill sergeant simply by doing what you are told, and not doing anything to piss him off. Simple.

After a few weeks the drill sergeant put me in charge of my platoon. This is fun because now I have to learn how to march "my" men around (easy) and how to be a leader of 42 men. That's not so easy. I make some mistakes, and learn from them. I become a much better leader, and learn the difference between leading a football team and leading a platoon. Pretty soon I am damn good at marching the platoon around. My voice sounds like the voice of God when we march, and my men love me as a leader (though personally it's a mixed bag).

We shoot assault weapons, machine guns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and throw hand grenades. This is all fun. We are all getting into decent shape. I was already in good shape when I arrived, now I'm sure that I will get a maximum score on the physical training test. I am right. I shoot one hit less than expert on the M-16, which is the only goal I fail in Basic Training. As a consolation though I throw a perfect score on grenade range and am selected as the outstanding soldier in my company.

We graduate from Basic Training and move on to advanced training. No longer am I mixed with a lot of different people who will do different jobs in the Army. Now I am with a lot of people like me who will be doing my job, which is to be a linguist. The people I am with are smarter than the people I went to college with. They like the same things that I do (wargames, language, sports, history). We are in Monterey California, a beautiful place, and I'm having a lot of fun making some great friends. We spend a year here, and then we are off to more technical training for another few months. Then we are sent to our duty stations. I get to go to Germany for a few months of temporary duty! I have never been to Europe before, and take advantage by travelling all that I can while I am there. I manage to tour around Germany extensively, and also to visit Paris for a long weekend. The whole trip is a blast, both the work and the play.

So I got a lot out of my time in the military. I learned an immense amount about myself, how to relate to others as a subordinate, peer or leader. I learned a lot about how people from different cultures in my country live and what they value. I made friends from places that I have never heard of previously. I learned a lot about the military, which was always interesting to me. I got to play wargames with some of the best competition available, as well as playtest a few games made by professional designers who I served with. I got to travel across the country and across the ocean. I gained a lot of confidence in myself from constantly succeeding in things that my friends back home couldn't even conceive of being able to do. Plus they paid off my student loans! Not bad for 3 years of my life.

[Az]

I was in the army for about a week. don't worry, though, I'll join later for a whopping 6 year period. . I will come out an officer though.

[uh Clem]

I was in the army (ours), although whether I was ever technically a "soldier" was the subject of some debate at the time.

[Sava]

Although I respect the qualities that military service teaches (discipline, leadership, etc) I could never bring myself to join for a few reasons.

1.) I don't want to be a part of an organization that is simply a foreign policy tool for a politician (i.e. the prez)

2.) I have a problem with being completely obedient just for the sake of obedience. I don't want to put myself in the position where another human being has any type of authority over me.

3.) I don't want to be cannon fodder.

I would join the military if there was some sort of war that threatened the continental US. I'm not knocking anybody who does join the armed forces. Some people just fit well in that system... I don't. Just a personal preference.

[SlowwHand]

That's the most subdued answer I've ever seen coming from you, Sava. WTG.

[Sava]

I feel like being rational today.

[SlowwHand]

Two things.

A) Maybe you won't get me in trouble again today
B) REALLY nice avatar you have going there.

[Pekka]

Originally posted by Rasbelin
@ mandatorial service for women in Finland

Bleah, Pekka. We should make the army into a paid army like several other countries. It's cheaper and we get well motivated soldiers. And people like you could get more military tasks as there's no opposition inside the army as those who are there, are all most likely well motivated for combat like you.

I agree with you 10000%.

[Pekka]

But Rasbelin what are you talking about? Our army pays good money. 3 euros per day, now that's good for 24h a day!

[Sava]

Two things.

A) Maybe you won't get me in trouble again today
B) REALLY nice avatar you have going there.

Thanks, its one of my idiot orange cats.

about A.)... well, follow the rules... I don't think its appropriate to discuss it further

[David Floyd]

Never been in the military, tried to do ROTC, was disqualified due to pins in my arm, if ever drafted I would dodge on general principles.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by The Pioneer


I was a Pantofla and was in the Infantry (Lamia, Swma Ylikou, Loufa diladi)

So long...

I was at the arhigeio stolou in Salamina. The only ships I saw was the transport ship and a couple of frigates but as a visitor (tsatsos diladi )