Warrior within

6 min read

Deviation Actions

MichaelArchangel's avatar
Published:
1.7K Views
Salve!

    Back to the real. I'm a civilian again. But only from outside... Inside, a soldier in me will remain, I suppose. Moreover my service is not done yet - next summer I'm going to do a specialist-training (operating command and comm' vehicles, if You are curious) and after it I will sign at least  two-years contract as a reserve soldier. I'll have trainings and duties like in a part time job after signing it. In theory. In fact it is a forward position for jumping into military career (you just wait for a vacant seat in your speciality). As a corporal, for a start. Tempting, isn't it?
    Especially when Your University is turning its back on You. Bastards closed post-graduate modern archeology without any warnings and informations. A week after I enrolled myself. I'm really pissed of because I had choosen Wrocław University because I wanted to take up modern archeology. Phoey!
    So, how was in the army? The best answer, I guess, is: "unlike anywhere else". Different life, different rules of it, different thinking. With many restrictions. First of them was leaving any civilian clothes. I was allowed to wear only "what Fatherland gave me". And it gave me:
-two uniforms (one clean - for processions and good apperance and one ragged - to move around training grounds,
-three pairs of training clothes (two short-type and longsleeve)
-two green t-shirts
-pair of military heavy shoes and a pair of trainers,
-four pairs of socks (two blue for trainers, and two black for military shoes)
-pyjama
-two panties
This had to be enough for three months. Of course some of us, including me, were hiding and using civilian clothes, mostly underwear, and tried not to be caught having it. It was quite funny especially when there was only one loundry machine for around 120 people of both sex :).
    An ordinary day in army looked like it: "Wake up" order was given at 5.30AM. I had to wake up around 5.10AM because I had to wash and shave myself. Around 5.35AM both companies were doing the "morning run" (the distance was around 3000m). After it there was a breakfast. From 8.00AM till 14.00PM we had been doing company schedule - marches, processions, PE, lectures, doing tasks on training grounds, shooting range etc -it depended from the day. Around: 14.30PM we had diner. From 16:00 we had another round of training (just like in the morning). At 18.10 we had supper, however sometimes we had to skip it. At 21.00AM we had an evening gathering, where orders were given and attendance was checked. 21.30PM-5.30AM was our time to sleep (praying that nobody will disturb You...). Iron discipline was everything that mattered.
    Quite exhausting. Superior-ranks had always a task for us. Idle soldier was the worst thing. As one corporal was teaching:
"I'm a professional, every task I perform myself"
"The only bad training is no training"
"Unpleasent weather is a challenge not an excuse"
"I do things impossible to do"
"I change my weaknes into feats"
"If I really can't train anymore - I'm turning on my backup accumulator"
Lovely...
Free time didn't exist. Almost...
    After over a month he had the privilage of R&Rs. But You have to deserve it - It was a gift for good results etc. If You were good You could have a weekend break. My unit had its quarters near Warsaw. For me, a forrest lad from the west of Poland it was almost nothing. When I was relieved friday afternoon, I was spending entire friday on travelling back home or any other place I wanted. Saturday was mine, but entire sunday I had to spend on travelling back to Warsaw suburbs.
    People were asking me questions about my motives. Why I changed comfortable civilian live and entire summer holidays for military harsh conditions and restrictions in almost every aspect of life? Some will not understand, but answers are simple. Now it's time to connect them with some personal confessions and thoughts:
Primo: I wanted to prove myself in one another field, like earlier with Erasmus exchange. I like such challenges.
Secundo: I always wanted to do military service, not far in the past, military service was compulsory for every male polish citizen. In my oppinion it shouldn't be suspended. Military service teaches discipline, hard work, and order. I wanted to do it too, because without it comparing to older guys I felt like a soft half-male. Now I feel proud of myself and even more worthy.
Tertio: I'm interested in military. I love ASG, weapons and warfare history. I wanted to get more into it...
Quatro: I wanted to create an emergency exit if I will have problems with finding a job after University (Suprisingly now I consider army as a primary option...).
    Experiencing military life changed me a bit. I remember the moment I thought about doing real service at first. I was marching through the woods with my friend during our archeological excursion. Suddenly he said that "It would be nice to do military service". Of course I picked up the idea. We decided that we will do something crazy again, something worthy of  Monty Python's "Ministry of Silly Walks". Before I realised what we were doing I already applied in our local recruitment center for placing me in N.C.O boot camp.
    During the course I realised that I'm really good in it. I fit here and such life suits me. I just feel that I belong to army, I was born to be a soldier...
    I'm not 100% sure yet. I still dream about having a large family and my own house. I'm afraid that doing service wil complicate it. I'm just a bit afraid of turning current life upside down. Fortunately I still have time to consider every "for and against". I wonder what the results will be...
Wish me luck!

    Had anything else happend beyond military? Not much in fact. I rented a new flat in Wrocław. I still live with my previous flatmate Carolyne, but now there are six of us. Archeologists. Sounds funny and dangerous. Good thing that I know them well an I know what to expect from flatmates like them.
    I read much recently. "Lord of Flies" was a really good lecture. The best things I read however were two memorials from the Pacific campaigns during World War II - "Helmet for my pillow" written by Robert Leckie, and "With the old breed" written by Eugene Bondurant Sledge. HBO series "the Pacific" was based on those two books. Brilliant however sometimes brutal and sad stories.

That will be all for now. See You around!
L.

Ps. Sorry for any mistakes in writing. My english writing skills recently got a bit rusty...
© 2013 - 2024 MichaelArchangel
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In