Just wondering if anyone here has done, or are planning to do their army service. In Norway you still get called in to do a year, but if you don't want to they wont force you like they used to do. What's the rules like in youre country?

I'm only 17 so I can't legally be a fulltime soldier, but I'm currently a member of the Norwegian National Guard. As long as we are under 18 we are not allowed to learn how to fight, but we do have basic wepon courses about how they work and safety procedures. Basicly learning about how dangerous guns and so on really are. We also learn some tactics like how to go out on patrol, recon, setting up observation points and so on. But we mostly do survival training which really comes in usefull. We learn basic medic stuff like mouth to mouth, treating simple wounds, etc. As I live in Norway the winter medic course is concidered vital and we spent a while learning how to treat hypothermia and frostbite. All this survival stuff is really usefull considering Norway is more or less covered with mountains and forrst. Heck. There's forrest filled mountains in every direction I look from my house and so learning to survive in the wild is a vital thing to have.

I'm not aiming for an army career though. Once I've done my year that will be it. I just want to learn to survive in the wild and enough to help protect my country. I don't want to get sent off to Afghanistan though, although I have great respect for those who do. I know a guy who is working in ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), stationed in Afghanistan and they have a hell of a tough job. I also know a guy who was stationed in Kosovo when he served for a Norwegian Special Forces unit called the Para Hunters. It's no walk in the park.

All requirements for this were dropped in 1960 I believe in the UK. It was an 18 month requirement for all men 18 years old and then went to a 2 year requirement just after it started. I know a few people who did that. My Dad missed it by several years though.

I am not sure if I would enjoy going to be honest. It sounds interesting the skills learned but at the same time I still dont think it would be too much fun

I think it'd teach some people some discipline!

I'm too lazy, it would have probably done me some good to have an 18 month stint in the army!

I recieved a letter in the post from the army today. I need to go to their office to get a full medical. It's what we call "sesjon" in Norway. Basicly we sitt in a que for five hours, talk to a doctor for 30 min, take a small logic test, wait a some more and finally get interviewed about what we want to do in the army. Every male norwegian has to do this. If they fail to show up more than twice (or maybe three time, I can't remember), MP's show up at your door and drive you there in their MP car personally.

Still, I get a day of school.