Army Colonel: A Short Story
“What would I be doing by now had I remained in service?” Hideyo thought as he opened his eyes. “Unless I had made a major mistake, I would have at least made it to Lieutenant Colonel. With luck, I could have served with distinction in one of the battles along the River Amur and been promoted to Colonel, and since I would not have remained all these years in the 7th Division, it’s possible that I would have fought at the Battle for Chahar Province. As long as I were still alive, I would have surely made it to Colonel.” The military was the one place where the disadvantage of being a Chōsenjin, a native of the Chōsen peninsula, existed to a somewhat lesser extent. Considering how he was not a military academy graduate but started out as a rank-one officer candidate, Hideyo was sure he had what it took to work his way
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up to Colonel. Only, of course, if he were still alive. The bath had slightly cooled, so he loosened the hot water faucet.
“To be a General would have been beyond my reach, but a Colonel…. These days, being an Army Colonel is not so bad, especially if you’re a Chōsenjin. It’s not just how you’re treated while you serve, but even after you’re placed in the reserves they make sure you get a management-level job at a small company. Even now I bet a Colonel earns no less, if not more, than a Section Chief at Handō Light Metals Incorporated. I’m not sure about what their paycheck figures are, but you do end up receiving a lot of benefits for serving in the military.” Hideyo remembered Setsuko once telling him, “Rie says they spend less than half of what we do as living expenses. Everything they buy at the PX is tax free. Can you imagine? When the rest of us suffocates under an endless pile of tax? Oh, but not only that, you get medical insurance benefits. They help you pay for your children’s education. They give you a housing allowance, a public transportation discount, even some kind of stipend for vehicle maintenance.” Aoki Rie, a younger friend of Setsuko’s from her school days, was married to an Army
Major.
“When you die, they even give you a grave,” Hideyo thought, smiling bitterly. He took a moment to estimate how much all of those benefits would add up to in cash….
up to Colonel. Only, of course, if he were still alive. The bath had slightly cooled, so he loosened the hot water faucet.
“To be a General would have been beyond my reach, but a Colonel…. These days, being an Army Colonel is not so bad, especially if you’re a Chōsenjin. It’s not just how you’re treated while you serve, but even after you’re placed in the reserves they make sure you get a management-level job at a small company. Even now I bet a Colonel earns no less, if not more, than a Section Chief at Handō Light Metals Incorporated. I’m not sure about what their paycheck figures are, but you do end up receiving a lot of benefits for serving in the military.” Hideyo remembered Setsuko once telling him, “Rie says they spend less than half of what we do as living expenses. Everything they buy at the PX is tax free. Can you imagine? When the rest of us suffocates under an endless pile of tax? Oh, but not only that, you get medical insurance benefits. They help you pay for your children’s education. They give you a housing allowance, a public transportation discount, even some kind of stipend for vehicle maintenance.” Aoki Rie, a younger friend of Setsuko’s from her school days, was married to an Army
Major.
“When you die, they even give you a grave,” Hideyo thought, smiling bitterly. He took a moment to estimate how much all of those benefits would add up to in cash….