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Hello TL
A nineteen year old Finn here, writing my first blog entry from the bus driving back to the military base where I serve my military service. It's about -30 celcius and it'll be colder next week I heard. I've been in the army for two weeks now and I'm very confused about everything.
In Finland we have mandatory military service for males. I've grown up thinking that after I finish high school I'll do my part and step into the ranks of the army, it's been perfectly clear for me. I used to think that I'll try to get into aliupseerikoulu (so NCO-course, I think) and stay in the army for a year. But now I've applied to universities in Scotland, pretty much having at least two certain offers coming and I feel like I want to start my studies next September. This naturally conflicts with the plan of staying a year in the army.
Before I started the service I actually thought that I'll just contact the schools and ask for deferred entry if I'll get selected for the nco-course, but now I'm not so certain anymore. I'd like to get the nco-training, but I don't want to stay in the army for extra six months for it and delay my studies for a whole year. At the moment I'll try to not get selected (read: forced) to the nco-course, but because I'm fitter than the most and otherwise pretty suitable, too (so I've been told by just about everyone so far) I might not have much to say whether I'll stay until next x-mas or not. The hardest part for me is that I've always seen myself staying there for a year, but now when I've started it I just want to get out as fast as possible.
stay tuned for more poorly written self-reflections.
 
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Ah! I might eventually get along to Finland and serve in the army, so this one-year thing interests me greatly... I had hoped it was just kinda an automatic six months. And more if you wanted. 
We've been having even worse temperatures than that -30C here in Minnesota so I'm not too broken up for you.  I actually think the Finnish military will be kind of fun. It's the idea of it being non-voluntary that makes me less excited. If I'm into a Master's program there I don't want to stop it midway.
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One thing I've learned from experience is that the education you get at school and the skills you pick up in the workforce are not the same things. You're going to need both.
There's no rush in getting an education. Taking a year off to gain a better perspective on things and to build skills that you cannot gain in school can be a very good thing for you in the long run. Don't intentionally do anything that can limit your options by making yourself a less-suitable candidate for the NCO course, should you decide that it would be a better course of action.
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On January 20 2014 03:25 Oukka wrote:
I just want to get out as fast as possible.
This is a completely normal thing to feel. There's a lot of stuff you eventually just get used to.
Oh, and as a medic, take my advice and go NCO no matter what. Spending your time in more motivated company is the best thing you can do to yourself.
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I finished my military service last summer, and I would definitely suggest you go for the NCO training. (I did both NCO, and then officer training afterwards. The "extra" six months may feel like a long time, but it will be definitely be worth it, I assure you. (Coming from someone who served 382 days.)
I'd be happy to reply into any questions you might have via PM.
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Oh also what I forgot to say in my last post... even if you wanted to avoid NCO training, do absolutely not try to act or be any worse than you truly are. I know how the system and the points for choosing the ones for NCO training works, you have absolutely nothing to gain from not doing everything to your best extent.
The ones that perform the best and show the most capability pretty much get to decide where they want. I can explain the system in detail via PM if you'd like.
E: Double post because I play too much mafia and forgot that edit button is actually allowed most of the time... 
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The finish army is the only army I know of, in which I could imagine to do a mandatory military service, because I heard it is for defense only (like real defense, not like the german army, Quote of German Politican: "Germany is defended at the Hindu Kush" -.-).
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Estonia4644 Posts
While mandatory military service over here is a bit different and I had no choice to shorten or lengthen my stay, it was 11 months which included NCO and further junior reserve officer(?) training because i chose to make the most of it. I could've gone the easier route and gone to become a driver and be a private for the whole duration but with a drivers license
I chose NCO instead and ended up as a Platoon Sergeant which i absolutely loved because it was challenging, there was a sense of responsibility, since I took care of the whole platoon and their wellbeing.
It was fun! And 6 months later, I actually miss it to a degree, even if im not willing to tie my career to the military because there's other avenues I wish to pursue. But with the training I got, I know there's always a place for me, and something I know I can and will be good at. Which is a valuable plan B to have in latter life, should things go horribly south.
I'm now back in university, freshman again, and I'm 23. The education is not going to run anywhere.
So try and make the most of your time there, get fit, read books, feel great about yourself, do the best you can and you'll be so much more prepared for life after the army, even if you don't stay there
You can always just apply again next year when you're out and have had time to contemplate on what you want to do, so you don't spend your time right now underperforming and looking back at it as a colossal waste of time.
That's my personal experience and advice, take it with a grain of salt and don't apply it blindly, but definitely food for thought.
Good luck, winter time in the army is not the most pleasant of times, I know that too well. But in comparison, civilian winter life now feels like a breeze, regardless of the temperature :D!
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On January 20 2014 13:42 fusefuse wrote:
Good luck, winter time in the army is not the most pleasant of times, I know that too well. But in comparison, civilian winter life now feels like a breeze, regardless of the temperature :D!
Yeah everytime I'm feeling cold, tired or hungry I just look back at army and I feel warm, well rested and well fed in comparison.
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i hated my service, being commanded around by total idiots stuck in their job, being in company of people who actually signed up on their own to being commanded around and killing stuff.
here is how my service ended:
During a doctors visit in a civil hostpital, they discovered i have a issue with my heart.
The army then put me in a car, drobe me all across germany to a army hospital, didnt tell me anything and the next day i had nurse demanding from me i sign a document that read they wanted to operate on my heart.
I was like 19 back then btw.
Luckily my later personality shined trough and i refused to sign anything at all.
Then i got the order to go back to my base. But this time i had no car, was in a completely remote peart of a completely unknown city.
Then when i got back to base by miracle, they put me in a room with a few people and tried to pressure me to sign the documents and told me if i didnt do it, it would have consequences for me and i would be responsible for everything.
Luckily again, i somehow managed that they gave me time to think. Of course if that would have been done to me today, i would simply ask for their statements in writing and then just show those to the press.
then i finally got to make a call to my family.
Full legal force and 2 weeks later and i was on a 6 months (rest of my service) fully payed leave.
It turned out the responsible medical personal was contracted and payed per "cure".
There was no need as of yet to operate my heart.
tldr soldiers are morons.
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Medical personnel weren't doing their job properly = soldiers are morons. What?
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On January 20 2014 23:57 LaNague wrote:
During a doctors visit in a civil hostpital, they discovered i have a issue with my heart.
During my service time in Singapore, we had a number of recruits die due to heart issues during basic training. Wanting to ensure that doesn't happen is not a problem, though it sounds like you were not given any information as to the what and why.
The 'consequences' were probably putting liability on you so that if you died as a result of any heart issue, the military would not be at fault as you refused treatment.
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On January 20 2014 23:57 LaNague wrote:
i hated my service, being commanded around by total idiots stuck in their job, being in company of people who actually signed up on their own to being commanded around and killing stuff.
here is how my service ended:
During a doctors visit in a civil hostpital, they discovered i have a issue with my heart.
The army then put me in a car, drobe me all across germany to a army hospital, didnt tell me anything and the next day i had nurse demanding from me i sign a document that read they wanted to operate on my heart.
I was like 19 back then btw.
Luckily my later personality shined trough and i refused to sign anything at all.
Then i got the order to go back to my base. But this time i had no car, was in a completely remote peart of a completely unknown city.
Then when i got back to base by miracle, they put me in a room with a few people and tried to pressure me to sign the documents and told me if i didnt do it, it would have consequences for me and i would be responsible for everything.
Luckily again, i somehow managed that they gave me time to think. Of course if that would have been done to me today, i would simply ask for their statements in writing and then just show those to the press.
then i finally got to make a call to my family.
Full legal force and 2 weeks later and i was on a 6 months (rest of my service) fully payed leave.
It turned out the responsible medical personal was contracted and payed per "cure".
There was no need as of yet to operate my heart.
tldr soldiers are morons.
you mean the armys job isnt to grow flowers?
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On January 21 2014 01:14 Ljas wrote:
Medical personnel weren't doing their job properly = soldiers are morons. What?
Sounds like the army personnel were also not doing their job properly. I.E., they tried to pressure the guy posting to get an operation on his heart out of the blue, without any information given as to the condition. Typically, something involving a person's vital organs is done only after much thought and deliberation...
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the key thing is that they should have released me from service because i wasnt fit for duty, but instead they tried to make me fit by pressuring me into major lifethreatening surgery.
to me it weas the worst time of my life and i hold a very deep grudge against my country and the army forcing me into it.
It also didnt help that my dog died when i was foced to live in my base and couldnt see him one last time.
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On January 21 2014 18:53 LaNague wrote:
the key thing is that they should have released me from service because i wasnt fit for duty, but instead they tried to make me fit by pressuring me into major lifethreatening surgery.
to me it weas the worst time of my life and i hold a very deep grudge against my country and the army forcing me into it.
It also didnt help that my dog died when i was foced to live in my base and couldnt see him one last time.
I agree with you in principle but that's never how it works, you belong to the country for that duration. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if in the event you had medical complications after refusing care, you were charged for being negligent with military resources.
Completely fair to have the view of your country that you do imo, glad you're out of service now.
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EPT
