Joining the Army

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Ripping off your skin is compulsory in Finland? Is Pinhead the president?

Ha!  What an interesting election campaign that would be!


I admire anyone who elects to join military service and essentially make themselves the property of their government for x amount of years, so good luck.

[Akatosh]

more conflict ridden regions than Germany

Two words: G8 Summit 

But, of course, that's likely a one-time-only thing. Anyway, I wish you good luck! Also wtcq... where DID you hear that?

[jetxl]

[ALPHATT]

Well guys in Hungary going to the Army is not compalsury since 2002 if I remeber right
and Drew sorry for that post but being in the Army is not the best place to do something
what YOU want and not about the army.

[Pet Terry]

Oh boy, just last night I had a dream that I was back in the army, until I realized I'm done with my military service already! After that the dream turned into an awesome horror action flick with Arnold Swarchzenegger and a Venom-like creature chasing me and my friends!

Anyways, as mentioned already, Finland has compulsory military service. Looking back now I wish I had chosen the civil service instead, even though it's 13 months instead of 6 or 12 months you have to be in the army. Many people want to go to the army though and it's a piece of cake if you're motivated. I wasn't, so it was hell. If someone wants to pursue career in the army, that's fine with me, nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't do that myself, and compulsory military service is just ridiculous. No country should have that.

[Sam.]

MIlitary service confuses me...what do they do if you just don't participate? I mean, if you go, but have no enthusiasm, can they shoot you?

[vict0r]

I'm actually thinking the same. What if you don't want to do what they tell you and you just... don't do it...?

[cobra79]

In the army nobody cares about your enthusiasm. You get an order and you do it. If you don't depending on the gravity you get fines and/or jail terms.

[ildu]

Well, the standard protocol for headstrong dudes in the Finnish army would be to first of all order them to do it. If you decline a lawful order, you are courtmartialed. If you continue the behaviour, you're sent to talk with the higher-ups, and they deliberate if you should be given 'E' papers. E means your service is delayed by a few years and you come back 'after you've grown up a little'.

At any time, you can quit and go do civil service instead. Once you quit, you can't come back. Alternatively, if you refuse any service, you'll have to go to jail for 6 months. However, it's very minimum security, you basically only have to be there during rollcalls and during the night.

Finland is riddled with such cases that some people who just don't show up to anything are just forgotten by the system. At one point of my military police service we received an order to capture this dude because he had been bailing on his service. Turned out the guy was somewhat of a dumbell and he had forgotten he had to go to the army at some point. So he laid around for a few years, until we went to pick him up from his house .

[Nikolas]

Go to prison (basilcally don't get out of the camp)
If you persist they call the MP (military police. Remember I was one), and they deal with you.

Believe me a military policman has plenty of wonderful legal ways to break a man!

If not there is always the jail. The real jail. A cell.

Spent a month in there and come to me to speak again.

If not they can always extend your service, but then of course they never do (they want to get rid of the fools really...)

Basically:

* You can work 16 hours a day, and have a night shift as well (lack of sleep)
* Not eat plenty, as not enough is provided or there is too little time.
* Not have access to the outside world (officially, mobile phones are NOT allowed in camp, in Greece)
* Trained in the worst of ways...

In all honesty, it depends on what they ask of you, but usually the punishment is far worst, so there is little reason to not do it. Plus you move camps every once in a while, so old grudges die immediately and new people get in the way and so on...

Think of it as school: How many students say bluntly: "no, F*ck off I won't take the test!". If they do say so they will fail. Simple as that! How many do actually say that? People who don't care, don't stay in school after they reach the age of 13-15, whatever the age of compulsary learning is in every country. They just drop out!

Do keep in mind that discipline is a matter of community and nothing more. After all, if 100 sholdiers would like to beat 10 MPs, they could very well do so. But fear is on the way. And the unknown. So nobody goes for it. (same reason empires take YEARS of planing and darring to go down, if even, or at least a revolution takes place)