I joined the military because I had to. Every German male over 18 years of age will be conscripted for at least 9 months. The only way out is by not passing the medical or psychological screening; conscientous objectors will have to perform a civilian service for 9 months. If you read this very article, you are probably from the US. And I’m sure you don’t care much about the peculiarities of military service in the German “Bundeswehr. On the other hand, some things are the same in every military organization. I’m not here to talk to you about generalities, but rather my first-hand experience with the military from the rank of a Private. adparams.getadspec(‘c_billboard1’);
Some people have glorious associations with military duty. They see their service as lived patriotism, and, in times of global terrorism, often see a career in the military as the right thing to do. Well, that is good for initial motivation – it may not bring you through the same daily routine forever. Typical military tasks in the lower ranks are repetitive and not very challenging. If you consider yourself even the slightest bit an intellectual, we have the first reason not to join the military: Boredom. Imagine yourself standing at a gate and, well, nothing ever happens. But you still would have to concentrate as if something drastic might happen anytime soon. If you’re not bothered by that, congratulations, you passed the first hurdle of becoming a soldier.
Your first day will not be nice. Your basic training will not be nice. Your future comrades might be playing it cool, but the stress of basic training affects everyone. And in the course of basic training, you will see some people lose their head who acted cool all along. The military is not only a surprising perspective into human psychology, but also very funny at times. There, I said it. Sometimes it can be fun, but in a twisted, military-influenced sort of way with lots of seedy practical jokes and cocky talk. If you are able to take and dish out such jokes and pranks, you’re in good company. But we are still at basic training. And this is the first time I am actually able to give you a reason to join the military: You’ll learn to clean. You will clean more than ever before. You may polish the same spot for like 10 minutes. It is already clean, but, who cares, right? I call this phantom activity, because you are like a ghost to your instructors. To them, it looks like you’re actually productive, but you are earning money by moving your hand in a circular motion.
Yes, that’s the thought I had in such lonely, lonely hours. I can not stop to emphasize the military’s love with cleaning, mopping, polishing everything that may ever come into contact with a single dust particle. And in return for your awesome cleaning, you’ll get nothing but somebody in your face, yelling at you about that shabby, filthy room he has to endure. adparams.getadspec(‘c_billboard1’);
You look at the room again, and you notice the fundamental difference between military and civilian life: The military has a perfectionist attitude about simple formalities like cleaning, personal hygiene and most importantly, shooting and maintaining your gun. In basic training, you will learn lots about your own psyche and your limits of endurance. You will not succeed making your instructors happy. Your instructors are paid for being constantly unhappy with your actions. Therefore, we have found the second reason to join the military. If you look at basic training as a worthwhile mindgame to be played, you’ll be much happier than somebody who constantly worries about making the instructors happy. To clarify this: Any military structure is fond of people who are able to push their personal limit and who can stay confident about their abilities even under constant instructive scrutiny.
After your basic training you will either be a simple shooter in a squad or be assigned to a specialist task. Well, since I’m on AC, what type of specialist do you think I was? You guessed right. After gruelling basic training, I basically sat all day, either typing something or driving something. It is a huge difference from basic training, as you might experience a friendlier enviroment than before. But I have to say I’d choose writing an article anytime over typical shooter squad duties. But that is dependent on your nature. Some like the physical challenges of being in an active combat unit. You’ll probably know about the risks associated with combat. By chance, you may not come back in one piece, physically or emotionally. Overseas, you earn more money, and there is real comradeship. Comradeship is something that only can be experienced, not fully described. I would say it goes deeper than normal friendship. I would argue that this is the top reason to join the military. The comradeship, the tales and experiences that are shared only by a handful of people able to laugh about the same thing. There is an extreme sense of belongingness in comradeship. On the other hand, it is quite sad to see that such intense bonds between humans are only existant if they share a common enemy and danger to overcome. Comradeship can turn to a negative thing in extreme situations. It may mask and disturb your objective view on reality with emotion. If you are looking to encounter comradeship, the military will be the best choice for you.
This is by far not a complete list of reasons to join the military. If you think you can pass the hurdles I described, the military surely offers great money, exotic places, education opportunities, and other benefits. I’m sure other articles are better at describing the details of these benefits as they are from an US experience, and hey, I just noticed it’s 02:38AM here. Seriously though, if you think you’ll be happy in a military enviroment, by all means, go for it! Never make such a decision just based on money and benefits, otherwise you’ll end up as a foul-mooded mercenary instead of being a happy soldier. Good luck with your decision.
