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I'm afraid of joining the army
sunsfan13
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Like every other South Korean male, I have to join the military for a minimum of 21 months. I seriously think it's a waste of time and I do not want to join. But I dont have another option, so I must go but I'm scared. I live in canada and I lived in North America for around 10 years. I am a great athlete, tough and physical so it's not that part that worries me. I'm worried about war and actually fighting even though it's far-fetched. More realistically, I'm worried about wasting 2 years of my prime in the army just not doing much. I don't know if I could listen to my iPod, or even bring any electronics. I'm not sure if I would have enough contact with the outside world. I don't want to spend 2 years away from my family and friends. I'm going to be super lonely as well. In addition, because I'm not well accustomed to Korean culture, I don't think I would get along well with others. This subject has been in my head a lot lately. I need to get this off my chest and maybe get some tip/help. Thanks.
P.S. I'm going to try to join the KADUSA but it's like a lottery system, I doubt I'll get in.
P.S. I'm going to try to join the KADUSA but it's like a lottery system, I doubt I'll get in.
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http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/138395/cry-havok-and-let-loose-the-dogs-of-the-military-thread#latest
where they mgiht be able to address some of your general concerns. I'm pretty sure it's focused largely on US military but some things will undoubtedly be the same.
If you MUST go, and this is under the assumption that you'd be garrison and not serving elsewhere in an overseas/foreign base somewhere else in the world, don't think of it as a chore.
Think of it instead as a way to both get essentially a free paycheck since the military will provide you with housing and food so you can bank the majority of your pay for after your service is up into finding a place to live or something and as well as using the time to learn new skills or improving existing ones.
You aren't cut off entirely from the outside world when you serve. Even when I was on a ship in the middle of the ocean, I could still at least email my family several times a day (barring any type of emergency where communication was halted for everyone) and having an ipod isn't a big thing, provided you don't use it while on duty/watch (where you need all your senses alert to any change in a situation) or during basic training.
If you're worried about losing friends, like you said it's only 2 years and after you come back you could have some amazing stories of things you did while there. ("Was up on the watch tower and saw this deer next to this one rock. And I swear it looked just like Steve's head! The rock, not the deer. The deer looked more like James.") And you'll be in such proximity to others (living and working together) you'll probably make new friends as well and it's kind of like an extended camping trip. You all know that it's only temporary.
Yeah. This has some serious long term consequences, but so does wasting two years in a shitty conscript position. You might want to think on it.
I volunteered for 5 in the US Army, but it was voluntary, and I got the specific job I wanted to.
Yeah, if this is anything like the conscription service was like in Germany, when we still had it, the pay is going to be a joke. I think I earned the equivalent of 10 Euros per day.
But I did not join the military, because you also had the option to do community service work, like in hospitals or pension homes. Is that an option in Korea?
I completely understand your trepidation regarding this upcoming time in your life - military service is no trivial thing, regardless of whether you are serving in peacetime or war. To be conscripted adds another level of stress to the experience, all of which means that your uncertainty is completely rational.
I'll start by noting that yes, you will likely have a more pleasant experience if you are accepted by the KATUSA program. It is generally acknowledged that standards of living and professionalism are higher in the KATUSA corps than the ROKA in general, owing largely to their direct garrison association with their host US Army units. In days past, you'd be an almost certain lock for the program, as it heavily favored candidates who had been educated in top Korean universities or lived abroad and thus gained exceptional English fluency. This practice eventually led to criticisms of favoritism and elitism (which may have had a solid basis in reality), and the program was subsequently retooled to be a random lottery draw amongst all candidates who have passed the required English proficiency tests.
As you've noted, this makes your odds no better than probability allows, so the rest of my advice will be tailored towards a more inevitable 24 months spent as a ROKA conscript. Let's assume that you choose not to renounce your citizenship and you are not selected for KATUSA training.
First of all, it's best if you simply apply to KATUSA and then forget it exists. Do not spend energy dwelling on an outcome that you have no possibility of effecting and invest instead in purposeful actions which will best prepare you for military service.
Then, continue your physical training. You've mentioned that you're a naturally gifted athlete, which is an incredible advantage in the military community. It can be hard to articulate just how beneficial a high level of physical fitness will be, but in general, it means that tasks and challenges which terrify a significant percentage of the military community will be fairly trivial for you. This in turn frees your mind and body to focus on the tasks that truly separate an individual by merit, such as technical and tactical knowledge, academic achievement, good attitude, professional military bearing, and public speaking.
Trust me. If you're a PT stud who puts in the time to excel at higher-level tasks, you will quickly be put forward by your superiors when it comes time to name the guy who should go to [class X] for training beyond the standard. This will hold true even if you are a conscript. Even in such a system, there is significant incentive for commanders to ensure that their top performers are well treated and motivated. Your entire strategy for your military service, from the first day of inprocessing on, should be to excel. Every time you are given a task, do it to the best of your ability, as fast as you can, with the best attitude you can muster. This may be hard at first, especially when Drill Sergeants are screaming in your face and you are generally being treated like trash (which happens in most armies during basic training, regardless of volunteer or conscript status) - so literally fake it 'till you make it. Fake smile, fake enthusiasm, fake motivation if that's what it takes - just get your given tasks done in an outstanding fashion. Drill Sergeants are far from the insane, screaming maniacs they appear to be to their recruits; behind that carefully cultivated mask of chaotic evil, they are very intently measuring their charges and taking meticulous note of things like fitness, intelligence, motivation, leadership and future potential. If you show yourself to be an exceptional candidate from day one, you'll very quickly notice that their rage is directed elsewhere. You may begin to avoid the worst consequences of their anger when the rest of the platoon fails them. You might notice yourself being (coincidentally) assigned to less onerous details at the very moment everyone else is pulled to dig latrine ditches in rain at midnight. They might not be nice to you, per se... but nice things just might happen to you. Just sayin'.
An objective observer will notice this occurring in every military, regardless of nationality or rank. Those who overperform tend to see benefits and less misery. Take this strategy to heart for your entire duration of service and I promise you that the experience will be vastly better for you than it would if you simply trudge along with your head down and a timid attitude. Fortune (and most especially the martial disciplines) favor the bold. Be bold, be excellent, and you will be rewarded.
To briefly address your social concerns: you will eventually be allowed access to communicate with your friends and family in some form, be it letters, email or by phone. The separation will be difficult for sure, possibly even maddening, but you will survive it. And you will be in touch with them, probably sooner (based on objective time) than it feels to you.
Regarding your lack of intimacy with Korean culture: yes, this will be awkward at first. Yes, there will be those who attempt to judge you, antagonize you, or reject you based on this narrowminded, ethnocentric concept of belonging. The secret here, however, is that their behaviors can only truly damage your welfare if you allow them to. So here's your blueprint: from day one of Basic Training and the rest of your military career, treat everyone you encounter with respect and dignity, regardless of how they treat you. Show kindness to everyone you can, especially those who are weaker than you, more frightened than you, or less capable than you are. Take time to assist anyone who needs help with a task, regardless of how menial it may be. Ignore the insults, forgive the ones who insult you, and help them as well when they need. Excel at every task you are given, both physically and mentally, and give freely of your time to pull the soldiers who express interest in your success up to your level. And never allow yourself to be goaded into pointless confrontation or violence unless you feel there is a legitimate threat to life, limb or eyesight.
If you can find it within yourself to do these things, you will come out the other side of your service no worse off than when you began. I would venture to say the more likely result is an experience that betters you significantly, provides you with a deep well of strength you might not have known you possessed, and one that you find yourself thankful for in the years to come. You can choose to make this a positive experience, regardless of why you're having to participate in it.
And, should you find yourself in combat, you will be vastly more likely to survive if you have taken your training seriously and chosen to be as physically and mentally prepared as possible. You are also more likely to have been promoted into serving in a position of higher survivability than the dime-a-dozen downtrodden conscript grunts with poor attitudes who get thrown onto the front lines as a speed bump. Nobody wants to lose their best guys, so conscript systems are very much guilty of protecting the best behind the meatshields of the mediocre. Don't let yourself get stacked up with that cordwood. Excel.
Lastly, as cliche as this will sound: millions (tens of millions?) of young men have gone through this exact same trial over the last six decades. The vastly overwhelming majority have come out the other side in one piece, both physically and mentally. The level of discomfort they experienced may not have been trivial, but they made it - and I can promise you that their discomfort was in some way proportional to the effort they put in and the attitude with which they conducted their service. Also, since this is a shared experience amongst the entire male populace of your country, be wary of the tendency amongst alumni to exaggerate the negatives as a form of machismo posturing. Most people will choose to tell the world how much something sucked (AFTER the fact), thus possibly inflating their social standing for having endured it, rather than simply admitting that a given experience was mostly uneventful and ultimately "meh". Ignore them: your path lies ahead you, not behind them. Go with a good attitude and be the role model... NOT the example.
And good luck - sometimes being fortunate makes all the difference. Maybe we'll run into each other out there someday.
~V
(Chief Warrant Officer 2, Aviation, United States Army)
P.S. Feel free to PM me at any point, now or during your service, if you'd like to talk about things. Soldiers are there for each other, always.
It is one thing to choose a career in the military and quite another to be drafted against one's will.
If military service in Korea is anything like it was in Germany, you can expect to be mostly bored out of your mind, unless you decide to go for a career in the military and get educated for a job there.
Since I remember the old days of the Cold War and Germany also shared a border with it's "socialist" fenced off brother state(though the GDR was a walk in the park compared to NK) I can completely understand that you do not want to waste 2 years of your life "defending" a country you don't even live in. And maybe even risking your life if the Kim family gets too crazy in that time.
For me the service would have been a waste of time as well and I am pretty sure I would have hated every minute of it.
Luckily I had the option to work at a nursing home instead, which probably taught me more about pain and suffering than the military ever would have, but in a way that actually felt like I did something good with my time.
If my internet research is true you have the same option to work in healthcare or with the police instead in Korea, so maybe that would be an option.
OP, you say you live in Canada. Do you actually intend to go back to Korea at any point in the future? You say you are not familiar with the culture, so I assume you intend to stay in North America?
Are you a Canadian citizen? If you do not have any strong ties to Korea and do not have to visit regularily because of family I don't see any reason not to try to get out of it completely.
Just be aware, that you won't be able to visit Korea in the next 20 years or so.
Thank you very much for your advice. It was truly great insight and I really appreciate it. I'm thinking of doing one year of university before joining the army, so I still have around 2 years of freedom. I do have many questions, and since you are a veteran, I would like to sometime pm you for my questions. Hope it won't be a hassle.
Thanks again.
Really? Could you please specify in what you mean by 'outperform?' Thank you
Unfortunately, unless I am physically or mentally handicapped, I must join the armed forces
Thank you for your positive insight! Hope it's what you said it is !
Unfortunately it is not an option for me
Thank you! I'll check it out!
Of course. It's no hassle whatsoever - don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. I'd be happy to address them as best I can.
~V
I mean trying to set yourself apart by doing more work than your peers, volunteering for everything to establish yourself as the 'go-to' guy. Do your job and do it well, but if you set yourself apart from your peers as being the superior performer, your leadership will recognize that and in most cases instead of trying to raise your peers to the same level you're performing at, they'll just start giving you the work of your peers when they start under-performing.
If he justs wants to complete his term of service with minimum discomfort and then move on with his life, maybe it would be better not to stand out.
I made good friends at all of my training stops in the Army, no matter how short.
Vaelor is Warrent, means enlisted first.
"Out of sight, out of mind"
If you're unable to get out of it, then my advice to you would be:
Since you'll be a conscript, it's already going to be something you don't want to do, so turn it into a series of small goals in order to make it tolerable. The fastest way it get it over with is to face it head on, deal with it and get it over with: You'll spend more time trying to get out from it than you will if you had just faced it head on and conquered it. It's 21 months, that's not even 2 years!
So develop small goals. You've mentioned you're already in pretty good athletic shape, the PT should be of no concern, so push yourself further: You will be surprised how much time you can devote to working out, so you can get in some crazy good shape.
Ever want to learn a task or language and never had the time? Want to become a pokemon master, but never had the time? Well congratulations, now you do. You're going to have so much stupid free time it will begin to drive you insane. So make something of it: learn a language, start a new hobby, maybe spend more time getting familiar with the culture. Might as well, since you're going to be a conscript for a few years. Stay occupied, stay focused.
For the military side of it, it's really a series of games:
Keep a good haircut
Make you bed
Clean your room
Clean your weapon
Clean your uniforms
Take care of yourself, physically and mentally
Be at least 10-15 minutes early to anything anyone tells you. If you're 5 minutes early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late.
Be observant
Be tolerant, be sincere and honest.
Be dependable.
Be willing to learn something new.
Be flexible with it.
Most of all, be patient. It's going to be a dramatic change in your life, be patient and observe everything. Turn it into something you can somewhat control.
Don't let the conscription get the better of you, make it work for you.
Despite what I mentioned earlier above absolutely strive to be the best you can ever be and don't let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. When it's all said and done, the strong ones are the ones whom succeed. I was in for 12 years, never regretted it, only disliked some people and units. But I've never regretted my time in. It's one hell of a ride.
Oh, and one last thing: I hope you like swearing.
― John Quincy Adams