Current mood:	contemplative
Entry tags:	why i wish to enlist

Why I Wish to Enlist in the Army
Many will probably look at me with disbelief when I say that I want to enlist in the army. After all, most male counterparts will rather not go for National Service, had it not been compulsory for them, so they cannot comprehend why a girl like me will voluntarily enlist. As for other girls, they will not be able to understand why I choose to tough it out in the hot sun and jungle when I can spend my time shopping and watching movies in airconditioned comfort. As it is, I was already mildly interested in a military career, fascinated as I was with military history after reading books on them. But I had never seriously considered a military career. The recent talk on the SAF Merit Scholarship (Women), specifically the presentations by past scholars (now officers in the Navy, Air Force and Army), changed that.

I am drawn to the scholars, and feel that I have much in common with them. Like me, they seek to break out of stereotypes of women – what women can do and cannot do, and strive to be on par with men. Like me, they love adventure, the outdoors, and challenges – both mental and physical; they possess the belief that they can achieve anything they set out to do. And like me, they wanted to take a path less traveled.

Above all, I am drawn to the inner strength that radiates out from them. They are ladies with great mental and physical strength, and I aspire to be like them. As women who went through the same grueling ten-week-long Basic Military Training as men, and later the Officer Cadet School as well, they are women of courage and resolve – qualities that I admire and value greatly. These qualities are what I wish to possess, and believe I can develop, through the rigorous military training.

Listening to the scholars reminisce fondly of their days in military training and the camaraderie they enjoyed, I realize that I want very much to experience and share this camaraderie – so much a part of the masculine culture in the army. I believe that the lasting
bonds formed with like-minded females in the army will greatly outweigh the physical and mental strain experienced in training. I also believe that bonds formed with people in the
workplace make a career enjoyable, and prioritize the social environment nearly as much as the job itself. As such, the close-knit and familial nature of the Navy holds much allure to me.

I seek a fulfilling and exciting career. Unlike most other jobs, a military career is not
deskbound; a routine, conventional desk-job will be almost torturous to me. I strive to be
either a pilot in the Air Force or a naval officer onboard a missile corvette or warship. Not
only will these jobs allow me to pursue my passion, be it sailing or flying, they promise to be physically challenging and mentally stimulating too. I believe that such a career will certainly add much color and dimension to my life.