My compulsory military service- Would you serve a foreign country ?

[william]

I have grown up in two different countries, Sweden and Finland. Though I never been a Swedish citizen, I have always thought of it as my home, because I'm born there and my native language is Swedish.

As the time I grew up my parents divorced and I moved with my brother, sister and mum to Finland. I  became a Finnish citizen because my mum married a Finnish man and by Finnish laws I now became a Finnish citizen. I have never really been proud of being a Finnish citizen even though it is here I spent most of my *grown up time* and my childhood was in Sweden.

Anyways in Finland they got compulsory military service, which I think is wrong. The year of 2006 I started my compulsory military service in Finland but I quited it after 2weeks, everyone asked me why (my friends and family). I told them it was because of my knee injury but that's a lie even though I got a serious knee injury and my military service would probably been procrastinated if I had told the army that I had this knee injury.

So I told the army psychologist that I was strongly against doing military because of religion differences and against war. This is the only way for one to be cut of from the compulsory military service. I would never kill anyone even if that person tried to kill me, I would just try to escape, don't have anything to fight for except myself.

Anyways for people like me that cut themselves of from compulsory military service, must do *civil service* (can't find any English word for that). Well, I thought that's wrong too, I'm not a Finn, no one is gonna take my freedom away even if it's gonna be though. I spent thinking how I was gonna pull this of, well as I really got a serious knee injury i went to the doctors and told them about my knee and they could definitely see from *magnet* X-ray that I had this knee injury.

This time was after I had taken the upper-secondary final examination in Finland. I had moved to Sweden for starting to study at the university. I only studied 3months before it was time for my compulsory military service in Finland.

As I now was living in Sweden but still a Finnish citizen, I wouldn't get any doctor or specialist help from Finland because I was living in Sweden. I thought, well you are right Finland sucks, I don't want help from you guys anyways, I'm gonna prolong this sh*t too till I become a Swedish citizen so I can throw my Finnish passport away. And this is something I'm still waiting for today, to once become a Swedish citizen because that is what I always have been dreaming of even though it's not my home.
 
Think I have to live one more year in Sweden before I can become a Swedish citizen.

I would never serve a country that I don't feel any connections to. And a guy like me that have nothing to lose, I would never take part in a war, I would rather just flee till I find something to fight for.

I know that a lot of people fight for someone/something just because they don't have something to lose.

What would you have done if you were put into my experience ? Would be cool to get it from your perspectives.

[senormac08]

Everyone has something to lose. If you have the means to move to a different country, to get an education, to change your citizenship, live in a country that provides health care, and to walk safely down the street then you have a lot more than millions of people do today. If you don't value any of that, it still doesn't mean you have nothing to fight for. You might fight to protect someone else, or to uphold a belief. Many times people fight to improve their lives and the lives of people around them. This world is not a utopia. Wars happen to people who don't cause them and you should not depend on others to carry the burden for you.

That point being made, I feel strongly that war is an irrational and terrible thing. I hope I never experience it.

[GASlick]

Respectfully, as a US citizen I must say that if it were not for war, my country would not be the way it is today.  We would be a group of British colonies on the east coast and probably never would have expanded west at all.
War throughout human history has been brought on by positive and negative influences.  Sometimes it is necessary.
Sometimes it is just mean.

I would fight for my country absolutely.  I do not believe in compulsory military service.  We are a nation of free will and making our own choices.  If you believe in it strongly enough, you will do whatever it takes to see it through.  Even if it means fighting.

[no1birdman]

In England there use to be compulsory milatary servive, get some in. They ought to bring it back. It teaches you a lot, makes a man out of u, teaches you respect.

[william]

In England there use to be compulsory milatary servive, get some in. They ought to bring it back. It teaches you a lot, makes a man out of u, teaches you respect.

I disagree completely, or I don't think it teaches you respect. Respect for some officers maybe that think they are so cool and just wish there were war.

Nothing respectful in killing a human or wearing a gun.

I threat people like they threat me, no matter of race/age/work/hair etc.

Maybe not what you meant but this is how I see it. I can do anything that you learn in the military service except wearing a gun or imagine I would kill someone. Does that make me less of a man or is that what makes a man out of you ? I don't think so.

[no1birdman]

Respect everything and everyone,  is what it learns you, even your enemy.If you were atacked how would you defend yourself or country, leave it to others to do the dirty work,

[FrankyG]

I am going to place a quote by John Stuart Mill. I have included the whole quote becuase it is a meaningful part but going to highlight the part that I would like you to read...

“But war, in a good cause, is not the greatest evil which a nation can suffer.  War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse.  When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service and for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people.  A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice – a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice – is often the means of their regeneration.  A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.  As long as justice and injustice have not terminated their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.”

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), “The Contest in America.” Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Volume 24, Issue 143, page 683-684. Harper & Bros., New York, April 1862

Please remember there are things worth fighting for...

[FrankyG]

As for compulsory service...I am a man that would do the right thing and in that instance your duty was to Finland.  I honestly think you should of done your time  properly and got out. But that is beside the point. As for compulsory service I am one of the few people in America that believes it should be also here in America.

[b.driscoll]

Would never serve a foreign nation, but I proudly served in the U.S. ARMY!

[tomgallagher]

When you take the oath you have to swear allegiance to that country. Not me.

[KollegeKreed]

Compulsory military service for any country is silly - Instead of getting the people that WANT to be in the military, they get people who have no interest and it ends up making the entire operation more dangerous for all.

That said, this post is going to get really political really quick so I don't expect to see it still here tomorrow...

[PBurke]

Compulsory military service for any country is silly - Instead of getting the people that WANT to be in the military, they get people who have no interest and it ends up making the entire operation more dangerous for all.

That said, this post is going to get really political really quick so I don't expect to see it still here tomorrow...

trying to fan fires?   it does not have to get political if we are respectful of it. but if it goes awry, you are right, you won't see it.

[Mikekoz13]

Compulsory military service for any country is silly - Instead of getting the people that WANT to be in the military, they get people who have no interest and it ends up making the entire operation more dangerous for all.

That said, this post is going to get really political really quick so I don't expect to see it still here tomorrow...

Funny how you pop in so rarely, fan the political flames, and then bow out not to be seen again until the next time you help spread the fire.
If you don't have something constructive to offer when you do visit, please don't post this kind of nonsense.

Making your point is one thing....... but then your last comment.... just more of the same that we've seen in the past from you.

[KollegeKreed]

PB/Koz - I wasn't attempting to set any fires...the poster before me made a comment that he wouldn't swear allegiance to his country so I naturally assumed that would end up making the post get removed.

I know you guys don't like me and the feelings really pretty mutual, but I do post in other stuff...Im a polisci major, not a sports nut...I gravitate to what I gravitate to...just a fact, sorry.

[PBurke]

dude, i don't dislike you. i have no problem with you personnally. the post before yours was saying that he would not pledge allegiance to another country. that is all. it is hard to know excactly what someone means cause you can't hear them. it has been a problem before. as far as thinking that everything will get pulled, we have rules for a reason. if someone doesn't like the rules, they are welcome to leave. don't want to sound harsh but that is how i feel. this is not a personal thing bro. just the way it is.