Being a Soldier
I started my five-week stint in the Army on Thursday as part of my annual training programme. It’s never been something I’ve looked forward to, but instead, it has become tolerable as the years passed. This time, it’ll be much longer than any previous stints - it is a 40 day course for the staff officer S2 position.
This time, I have the distinction of being the oldest trainee in the course. I realised that some of the young lieutenants were barely 19 - a full 16 years younger than me. It was a sobering thought, and I still can’t believe I’m that old.
The lessons started off in a brutal fashion. The first day, lectures did not end until 10 pm. On Friday, we didn’t leave before 11.30 pm. The syllabus for the course was very aggresive, with the instructors demanding a lot of work from the trainees.
The advantage of being an older person is that I can afford to drive home every night. The rooms are bare and with little entertainment besides anything we bring ourselves.
Another officer who has never attended an In-Camp Training since he finished his service, was actually excited about spending nights in the camp. That was until he looked around the empty bunk and realised this wasn’t the same as his good old days. He left after one hour.