Conscription - Yes, no, maybe?

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Just about every country in the world has an army of some sort. Even the Vatican (and yes, the Vatican is an actual country) has its own army. With just 110 men the Swiss Guard, the Vatican’s army, is the smallest in the world.

Most countries around the world will have a permanent defence force that will normally have an army and often a navy and air force as well. The people who serve in these armed forces usually do so as a full-time career.

The vast majority of countries with a permanent armed force will also have a sizeable reserve force. The people that serve in the reserve force are volunteers and serve for a certain period of time each year.

Yet not everyone that serves in the military or fights in a war is there because they want to be. As far back as history can recall people have been forced to take up arms against their will. To this day rebel and guerilla armies will abduct people and force them to join their ranks. It’s a case of “either you fight for us, or you are against us and we will kill you.” Not much of a choice, is it.

Even the British Royal Navy came up with a unique method to recruit sailors. Working and living conditions for the average sailor in the Royal Navy in the 18th century were harsh by modern standards and generally much worse than conditions on British merchant ships; their pay was around half that paid by merchantmen and was lower than that paid to a farm labourer.

To recruit sailors to serve on Royal Navy warships, they came up with a system known as ‘impressment’. Groups of Royal Navy recruiters, known as ‘press gangs’, would usually wait outside a pub at night. If some drunk walked out he would be hit over the head with a baton and knocked unconscious.

He would later wake up to find himself aboard a Royal Navy ship and be informed that he was now a serving member of the Royal Navy. And he had no choice in the matter. If he tried to leave or run away he would be tracked down, charged with desertion, and could be sentenced to death.

Many countries in the past used a system of conscription or compulsory military service. This in effect meant that the governments of those countries past legislation that made military service a law.

To this day there are numerous countries where conscription is still enforced. In Africa countries such as Angola, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Somalia and Sudan all have compulsory military service.

In Israel, for example, men and women over the age of 18 are liable for conscription. The men do three years and the women two.

YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW: A new intake of national servicemen report for their call up.

South Africa is no stranger to conscription. From 1968 to 1993 South Africa had a system of compulsory military service that was known as ‘national service’.

During this period the policy of apartheid was still the law of the country and the army, navy and air force fell under the command of the South African Defence Force (SADF).

National service began in 1968 when it was decided that all white South African males would be required to do a period of compulsory military service. Note carefully the use of the word compulsory. It was not a request, it was an instruction and it was backed up by an act of parliament - Defence Act (this would later include the Defence Act Amendment, 1982).

Every white male who was a South Africa citizen or had permanent residence was required to register with the South African Defence Force in the year that he turned 16. Once you had completed your schooling or decided to leave school, the South African Defence Force required your services.

At first national service was for a period of nine months and then 12 months. Then, in 1978, it was increased to 24 months. Once this initial period of service was over they were then placed into the citizen force where they would have to serve between 30 and 90 days a year for the next 12 years.

You could, or course, refuse to do national service. It did mean that you would be arrested, charged, and sent to prison for three years. And you would not serve your time in a civilian prison. You would serve it in a military prison known as ‘detention barracks’.

While there were indeed some who did opt to spend time in prison rather than serve in a military that they believed was fighting to maintain the policy of apartheid, the vast majority went ahead and reported for their national service.

A BURDEN TO BEAR: National servicemen on a route march during basic training.

There were two intakes or call ups per year. The larger of the two was in January and another in July. You would receive a letter with your call up papers, or instructions to report for national service.

National servicemen could be called up to serve in either the army, navy or air force. Later on a forth arm, the South African Medical Services (SAMS) was formed and they would also receive an allocation of the call up.

While national servicemen did get to serve in the navy, air force and medical services it was the army that claimed most of them. The Infantry Corps was by far the largest corps in the army. The majority of national servicemen were absorbed by the Infantry Corps where they received intensive training in the use of military weapons, fieldcraft and counter-insurgency operations.

Eight infantry battalions were situated throughout South Africa at Bloemfontein, Walvis Bay, Potchefstroom, Middelburg, Ladysmith, Grahamstown, Upington and Phalaborwa. The infantry also had their own school at Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape.

You had absolutely no choice in where you were called up. You could be called up to do your training at a unit that was hundreds, sometimes thousands of kilometres from where you lived.

Once you arrived for your national service the first nine weeks were taken up by basic training. This began the process of taking what were essentially school boys and turning them into soldiers. For many of the youngsters it came as a harsh realisation that their lives were about to be changed.

“The army didn’t care who you were or where you came from,” says Kyle who was 18 when he did his basic training with the infantry. “It didn’t make any difference if you had a university degree or a standard six education. They didn’t care if you came from a wealthy family or from the slums. As far as they were concerned you were the lowest form of life. It was their mission during basic to break everyone down to the same level and then build them up again.”

DOUBLE TIME A large portion of basic training would be spent on the parade ground. Here the conscripts were taught how to drill and react to commands. Here a group is shown moving at double time.

Many that did national service say that the military were very good at the breaking down part, but not always as good at building them up again.

There was a very strict rank structure in the military that was made up of officers, warrant officers (sergeant majors), non-commissioned officers (NCO) and other ranks.

National servicemen would begin with the lowest possible rank. If, for instance, they were in the infantry they would hold the rank of ‘rifleman’.

A national serviceman could go on to become an NCO but could only go as high as the rank of corporal. If they successfully completed an officers course they could be promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant. If, however, they had a university degree they could become a lieutenant.

An infantry battalion, for instance, was divided up into a number of companies. Each company would have a company commander (usually a captain) and a company sergeant major.

Companies were further divided into platoons which were in turn divided into squads. As a national serviceman you would find yourself in a squad with a corporal in charge of you.

During basic training it was the corporals (usually national servicemen themselves) that carried out the majority of the training. And it was frightening just how much power a corporal wielded.

It is an old adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This was unfortunately the case with many of the corporals that were involved in training conscripts. Some of them were particularly brutal in their methods and it is a sad fact that more than one recruit died during basic training as a direct result of physical abuse from the instructors.

While the instructors were not officially permitted to physically or mentally abuse the troops, those in authority often looked the other way. This was particularly the case during the ‘70s and early ‘80s.

“Our corporal was a little weed of a guy,” says Craig who did national service in 1975. “I could have given him one slap and knocked his head off. But we were all terrified of him. If he said ‘jump’ you didn’t ask why, you didn’t argue, you just asked how high.”

And he does have a point. As a national serviceman you were part of the huge military machine and if you didn’t go along with the flow the machine would eat you up and spit you out in pieces.

The military even had its own laws and regulations laid out in the Military Discipline Code (MDC). If you violated one of these regulations you could be formally charged and put on trial.

Minor offences would be handled with a process known as a ‘Summary Trial’. They could try you and, if found guilty, could sentence you up to 120 days in detention barracks. And something you have to realise is that time spent in detention did not count. If you spent 90 days in detention then you had to do an extra 90 days of your national service.

For serious offences you could be court martialled. A court martial had the power to sentence you to death.

Taking the above into account, it’s little wonder that most national servicemen did what they were told and tried to avoid trouble as much as possible.

During basic training the day would normally begin at 6.00 am with PT. Then, after breakfast, the rest of the morning would be spent on the parade ground learning to march. Afternoons would be spent doing field craft, first-aid training, map reading, and other military skills. Naturally the national servicemen would also spent time at the shooting range.

Most evening were spent preparing for the next morning’s dreaded inspection. Your corporal would normally inspect your bungalow every morning from Monday to Thursday. Friday mornings, however, was the big inspection. This would be carried out by your company commander, company sergeant major, and your corporal.

After six weeks of basic training, national servicemen were supposed to be given leave from Friday evening to Sunday evening, known as a pass, every second weekend. This was not always the case and sometimes a national serviceman could go for months without every getting the opportunity to go home.

The Friday  morning inspections were very strict and, if you your squad was supposed to get a pass that afternoon, it could be cancelled if you failed to pass the inspection. If one person failed they could cancel the pass for everyone in the squad.

MORNING INSPECTION: Most national servicemen hated morning inspections with a passion.

And an inspection involved more than just sweeping the floor and making your bed. The floors had to be polished so that they shone. Beds had to be made up in a special way so that the edges had creases. All clothes had to be washed and perfectly ironed. Boots and shoes had to be polished. Every bit of equipment had to be cleaned. It was common for national servicemen to work right through the night to prepare for a Friday morning inspection.

“I remember one Friday morning inspection,” says Craig. “We were supposed to be on pass that weekend. Our company commander came around for inspection and he noticed a fly sitting on one of the window panes. He turned to our corporal and asked him why we were keeping pets in the bungalow. And so our pass was cancelled.”

After basic training national servicemen would go on to do individual and advanced training. After this they were posted out to various units were they carried out a multitude of functions.

Many, however, would be sent to the then South West Africa - to what become known as the ‘Border War’. Some of them would go on to see combat and, sadly, some of them would die.

It is estimated that more than 2,000 South African troops were killed during the Border War. And this does not take into account the many more that died in training accidents or road accidents during their national service.

National service was done away with in 1993, a year before South Africa’s first democratic elections. From 1968 to 1993 over 600,000 white South African males did national service.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER PATROL: South African troops, most of the conscripts, carry out a patrol in Owamboland in the then South West Africa. Patrols could last up to eight days.

There has been no conscription in South Africa for the past 24 years. The old SADF is a thing of the past and now the SANDF (South African National Defence Force) is responsible for the military security of the country. It is a military force that is made up of permanent staff and reserve force volunteers.

Yet some people would like to see conscription introduced once again. But this time it would not be only for whites, but for everyone that leaves school. They suggest that everyone who leaves school should spend at least six months in the military.

They say it would help with unemployment, give the youth discipline and that they could be well utilised during their period of conscription. Engineers could build roads and provide water for rural areas, infantry could be used to patrol game reserves and stop rhino poaching. They could also assist the police with crime prevention.

They also reason that by giving the youth training and skills during their conscription period, it would make them far more employable once they had completed their service. All of this sounds very positive. But you have to look at the negative aspects as well.

First of all, how keen would the youth be to do some form of national service. What would you do with those that refused? Throw them into prisons that are already overcrowded?

Then you have to consider the financial implications. It’s not cheap to run a defence force. All of the conscripts would have to be fed, housed, clothed and provided with medical treatment if necessary. Naturally you would also have to pay them something. Where would this money come from?

The current defence budget would have to be drastically increased. Money would have to be diverted from other departments to pay for it.

Something else that needs to be taken into consideration is where would you train them. Many of the old military bases and units were closed down. So where exactly would the conscripts be housed and where would they be given training.

Personally I don’t believe we will ever see conscription in South Africa again. It would be an interesting experiment to see how the youth of today would handle something like that.

Can you imagine them spending nine weeks of basic training with no cellphones, no Facebook, no Twitter, no e-mails, no text messages, and no Internet.

As a last thought I asked Craig, who I had interviewed for this article, if he would like to see his own son doing national service.

“I don’t really know,” Craig said. “Maybe if it was for six months. And as long as if he didn’t have to go and fight in a war. I think it would probably do him some good. It would at least teach him and bit of respect and discipline and maybe how to make his own damn bed.”

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