Random Post #2
My Knowledge About Danish Conscription
Last month, my boyfriend told me that he got a letter. It was from the Danish government (he lives in Denmark) and it informed him that he was chosen for the draft… kinda. As he explained it, all eighteen-year-old boys get the same letter and have to complete a physical from the Danish military to see if they are fit for service. So, the next month he went to a military base to see if he was going to be conscripted.
The process of Danish conscription is very strange. If a boy passes his physical, he gets placed in a room with thirty other teenagers. They sit through a presentation about why they should join the military and what it will mean for their country. Then, the boys line up and pick a number. I don’t know if they choose a piece of paper out of a hat or if the numbers are electronically selected, but if you get a number below 8,000 then you’re forced to “volunteer” for the military. Picking a number above 8,000 means that you are free from military service. Essentially, the Danish draft is a random lottery.
The unlucky few who get a low number usually have one or two years of gymnasium (high school) left before college. They can request to join the military after graduation; my boyfriend says that this is always approved. After graduation, he would spend six months to a year in training with the army, navy, or air force. Once those months are up, then he is free to go about his normal life. The kids never go into battle because Denmark wants to have trained men from all ages to be ready in case of a war. By having a military educated population, Denmark will be able to build an army quicker than other countries because some of them have already completed training.
Against my boyfriend’s wishes, he received the number 21,000. I was ecstatic because I am not ready for him to join the military because I associate it with death. The soldier told him that the Danish army has more volunteers than it needs and is rejecting new recruits. This confuses me because if the military has no open spots, then why send the letters for potential conscription in the first place? That just wastes a lot of time and money spent on train tickets. Now my next worry is about my boyfriend volunteering for the navy once they are accepting people again. Hopefully I’ll be able to change his mind before then.
Hi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteThis was SUPER interesting to read! The drafting process kind of reminds me of the Hunger Games (to be honest, I haven't really fully seen the Hunger Games, but from the 1-2 clips I've seen, the drafting processes seem similar lol). I'm really glad for you both that your boyfriend received that high number instead of a low one. I agree that sending those letters were kind of useless. If anything, they were probably super stress inducing! I wish you both luck, and I hope he stays safe in whichever path he chooses to go on.
Angelica
Hi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. I have never heard about the drafting process for other countries. This, however, seems somewhat odd considering they just wasted a bunch of peoples time. I wonder if they just went through the whole process as a means of tradition. 8,000 people a year also seems like a VERY large number.
-Samantha
Hi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteThis post was super interesting to me as I have never heard of this process before and truly can't imagine if the US chose to draft our military in this manner. When I was reading, I actually also got excited that your boyfriend picked a high number because I too associate military with war and death and it makes me sad. I wish you both the best, no matter what he decides, and I hope everything will be ok :)
Zoë
Hey Ellie!
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your post. I feel like a lot of non-American countries has this sort of draft system. When I went back to Taiwan for a summer, I learned about how all men over the age of 18 are mandated to serve in the military for a period of time. Currently, I think the amount of time is pretty low, but I know back when my dad was in Taiwan, he had to serve for two years. Like Zoe, I really would want to see what would happen if America had this type of draft. I feel like people would definitely riot.
Bryan
Ellie!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is so crazy... I would be a total mess if my person was potentially going to leave this country and go to another one to join the military! Even if my person joined the US military... I do not think I could take that. Major respect to you for getting through that because I do not know if I could.
Mason
Hi Ellie,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that was pretty harrowing for you, but I'm sure even if he was conscripted he would be far from death in the Danish military. One of my friends at USC had to do mandatory service in the Israeli army which is always in conflict, and she gave museum tours. Another of my friends had to do mandatory service for Korea, and he took train tickets. Nonetheless, you lucked out with number 21,000 either way.
Kevin
Hey Ellie,
ReplyDeleteThis was super insightful to read as it gave more context into the whole "boyfriend got drafted for the military" thing. It seems like a weird concept to my American self. Based on your post, you kind of agree! I wish you luck in changing his mind about the navy. The military is way too scary.
Best,
Brooke