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Making Military Service Mandatory

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Making Military Service Mandatory
Ting-Che Cheng
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Making Military Services Mandatory Military service provides young people with the opportunity to develop and become stronger not only physically, but also mentally. Both physical and mental developments are highly beneficial to the young people. Military training provides a lot of benefits such as mental toughening, physical conditioning, and an opportunity to promote equality among the old and the young members of the society. The issue of equality, in all societal realms, has been a serious headache to a number of governments around the world. It has led some governments to consider mandatory military service for its citizens. A number of nations around the world have made it mandatory to join the military service. These countries include democratic nations like Austria, Denmark, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Mexico, Israel, Russia, Sweden, Norway, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey. Nonetheless, mandatory military service is a controversial topic with some people in support while others are totally opposed to it. With the use of both interviews, with former and current military personnel, and journals, this paper will discuss both sides of the debate, taking a stand against mandatory military service. Military service provides valuable skills and experience for young people, and it is a significant milestone from their past experiences, especially for those having problems transitioning to young adulthood. Thus, a change in perspective can help them in viewing life in a different way. Military service opens up their minds and widens their view of the world. It allows young people to learn to tolerate others and their culture. They can also be presented with a chance to work harder in their future, and develop a stronger sense of belonging and responsibility to their nation. In an interview with my grandfather Chun-Jan Cheng, a former officer in the military, he suggested that joining the military



Cited: Chang, Yuan. Personal interview. 10 Mar. 2013. Cheng, Chung-Jan. Personal interview. 12 Mar. 2013. Huang, Kuan-Yeh. Personal interview. 10 Mar. 2013. Lahav, Eyal , Uri Benzion, and Tal Shavit. "The effect of military service on soldiers’ time preferences: Evidence from Israel."Judgment and Decision Making, 6.2, (2011): 130- 138. Print. Roth-Douquet, Kathryn. “The Progressive Case for the Military Service.” A journal of ideas 1. (2006): n. pag. Democracy. Web. 4 May 2013. issue1. Wintre, M. G., and R. Ben-Knaz. "Adjustment to the army as a comparative context for adjustment to university." Journal of Adolescent Research, 15, (2000): 145-172. Print.

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