˙˙00˙ ˙00˙01˙03˙01What Was That Advancing All About?˙00 ˙02˙and a Few Other Things˙ ˙00 ˙ ˙ ˙03˙02SERGEANT PUH ˙02˙01˙01˙00˙˙01 From nothing to sergeant via private and corporal, everything within ten months' time, that is what I call advancing. It sounds good, does it not, advancing, but the truth is, there is nothing special to it. Its not like that only the best advance here: we all advance the same degree on the very same day. There is no test or anything, you simply cannot avoid advancing. After five months you become corporal, and after a few more sergeant. Well, now I am here, sergeant and all that, but the strange thing is, I am still the same Henrik I used to be. You don't grow up or become more mature just because of your advancing, you are what you are! You are, however, sergeant too, which allows you to give orders to all the corporals and privates. That can come handy sometimes, even though it just might not be such a good idea to use your position in that way; we are, after all, in the same boat: we are forced to be here in Boden for a longer or shorter time, and friendship does not take military degrees into account. It can, as a matter of fact, de damaged by them if you use your position in the way described. I have three slices of spaghetti on my shoulders, and I will never advance again unless I choose to join the army for good (over my dead body...), cause if I do, there would be a few degrees above mine... ˙02Private - no real mark of degree (Lance) Corporal - two slices of spaghetti (Private) Sergeant - three slices of spaghetti Sergeant - a star in a circle ˙01- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ˙02Second Lieutenant - one star Lieutenant - two stars Captain - three stars ˙01- ˙02Major - one star below a crown Lieutenant Colonel - two stars below a crown Colonel - three stars below a crown First Colonel - four stars below a crown ˙01- ˙02General Major - two gold stars General Lieutenant - three gold stars General - four gold stars˙01 ˙01 There are only two generals in Sweden, the King and the Commander in Chief (ÖB). Generally, you could say that the second lieutenants are the worst to deal with (read: the worst persons to deal with you) as they are young and fresh and want to show themselves worthy their degree towards those of higher. (When someone wants to show himself (or herself) worthy, its the ones with lower degrees that get all the shit.) When you join the army as a private (read: when you are forced to join...), you can do it on four different levels... ˙02G-soldier ( usually 7.5 months, end up as nothing (well, we're in the army, pal...)) GB (GruppBefäl, Group Chief, usually 10 months, end up as Private Sergeants) PB (PlutonsBefäl, Platoon Chief, usually 12.5 months, end up like Sergeants) KB (KompaniBefäl, Company Chief, usually 15 months, end up like (Private) Second Lieutenants)˙01 Until the first of July 1995, girls were only allowed to join the army if they withstood the tests of the PB and KB, but now, they are allowed to join anyway. There are actually a few girls here (say 20 out of 3000 soldiers), and when I first saw them, I wondered how they lived, i.e. if they lived in a special barrack-room for girls, but the hard truth soon struck me: there is only one way to live in the army. Everyone lives under the same circumstances, and there are no exceptions! (All girls volunteer while we are forced, but that's about it...) Most girls that go through the military service do it because of their wanting to take up a career in the army, but some do it because they believe it will be a useful experience (and I think it is, too, even if I never would have like to do the military service if I were a girl). Now you think all army girls are shemales, but the worst part is that they are not. Some of them are real beauties ("male sexist swine"). The standard question: do you really learn anything useful in your normal life? Yes, you do, I'd say. Survival, leadership, first aid, behaviour (no, Talent, that is not spelt behavior), respect, and above all, cleaning and dealing with too little sleep. The second standard question: can you recommend the army? This is a real tough one. I'd say I am glad to have carried out my military service, but I wasn't always glad when I did it. You learn a lot, but you lose a lot, too (home, family, time and friends are maybe not lost but very distant). No, there is no simple YES or NO here, it's too complex. About the only thing I've learned about that is that you should not listen to others, you must find the answers yourself. I noticed that when I had found them, I was already in the army, so it is some kind of evil circle... I would not recommend the army at all if you have a job, a real work or if you study. (It is, on the other hand, quite good to do the military service between high school and the university, like I did.) It can be hard to make both ends meet if you live by your own as you don't make too much money, even though you in theory can spend 15 months here without wasting a crown. The first 233 days you make 40 crowns (40/8 USD?) a day, then that sum gradually increases to 125 crowns / day (?) after 15 months. Considering that you get food, education and a place to live, it's quite well paid (at least you won't find that offer anywhere else). I would on the contrary recommend it if you feel that you need a year off to think. Not that you'll think too much, but at least you get a year off! ˙01