Military service is a type of federal public service, which is the professional service activity of citizens in military positions. The difference between military service and other types of public service is the obligatory taking of the oath by military personnel. The main task of conscription is constant, purposeful preparation for armed protection of the integrity and inviolability of the territory. Military service is essential because it gives children who have just finished school many opportunities. The army is the embodiment of the national dignity of the people. The power of the armed forces gives the country international weight. After military service, a person gains experience that will be implemented in life situations. Often the reluctance to do military service is associated with ignorance of the opportunities that this service will bring. People should have one year of Mandatory military service because it will give a lot of vital skills, the ability to communicate, and form the image of a patriot in action and hero.
The United States needs an innovative army in which the professionalism and competence of the military are at the highest level. This corresponds to the purpose of the new educational model, which is aimed at the comprehensive development of professionals, the formation of practical skills to perform professional tasks (Bingley et al. 49). The officer is obliged to have a theoretical base, practical skills, and abilities to manage combat and personally use army systems in combat conditions (Bingley et al. 51). During military service, traditional didactic tools and teaching models are used, and there is a practical application of the most modern approaches to innovation in teaching.
During military service, cadets have the opportunity to master a modern simulation center, simulation programs, interactive combat models, virtual, augmented reality programs, simulators, training demonstration equipment, and simulators. Thus, at the present stage, one of the main areas of organization of the educational process during military service is introducing modern information technology and providing teachers with a modern, effective learning tool. People who serve in the army develop unit management skills, organization of interaction in modern combat, full use of weapons and military equipment in solving tactical tasks. Cadets also have the opportunity to receive objective information about the level of tactical training.
Stress resistance is another essential life skill and that a person will learn during military service. Service in the army for eighteen-year-olds is full of many emotions. After all, a life far from home and from relatives causes feelings of fear and stress. That is why, at such a young age, military service becomes a teacher. Cadets learn from their own experiences to cope with any stress and overcome feelings of insecurity or fear (Coleman 555). In general, a stress-resistant person, in any condition, can perform the task. Such person is not distracted by noise, extraneous questions, jealousy of colleagues, or family problems. Such an individual always stands out from the crowd – calm, confident, and self-sufficient. A stress-resistant one finds a way out of any, even the most extreme situation such as fire or flood (Coleman 558). After service in the army it is easier to manage rudeness, aggression, ridicule, gossip or intrigue. Military service is a significant educational element in everyone’s life because it prepares young people to endure any problems along the way quickly.
The service activities of a serviceman are stressful, even extreme. Therefore, to adapt to the conditions of an aggressive environment and increase the level of stress resistance is an essential psychological skill for a soldier. During military service, resistance to stress develops in various aspects. Stress resistance is considered in three parts: as a reaction, as perception, and as a person’s attitude to stressors (Coleman 558). The reaction is a passive response to a stress factor. In the army, people learn to perceive problems with the mind without unnecessary emotions. Perception is an awareness of the integrity of the often recurring stressful situation and oneself in it: the influence of stress factors on the responding subject (requires the development of cognitive or cognitive self-awareness) (Coleman 559). Attitudes are the acquisition of coping strategies or skills of mastering behavior for constructive self-defense and influence a stress factor. In general, stress resistance is one of the most essential features of modern life. Military service is a trigger that will help to cope in the future with any difficulties in life.
Sometimes even introverts during military service learn to communicate with pleasure, work in a team and understand the feelings of peers. Communicating with others is an activity that consists of a chain of continuous “actions”, such as talking, listening, perceiving a partner, participating in a conversation, thinking and more (Margulies and Foodman 86). All these actions are aimed at achieving some goal. The ability to understand everything that happens between people and in people themselves, to understand the meaning of their actions, experiences, thoughts, aspirations, to understand the inner meaning of whole situations arising from the actions of several people – is an ability whose importance is difficult to overestimate. It is especially important to be able to be aware not only of others, but also their own behavior, their reactions in specific situations of interpersonal communication (Margulies and Foodman 87). This ability is not formed on the basis of developing the skill to quickly and unambiguously make judgments about people and about yourself. The tendency to judge people quickly and irrevocably prevents a truly deep understanding of them.
Communication is one of the universal realities of human existence, a specific type and a necessary condition for its activities. The psychological climate among peers largely depends on it. After all, properly organized communication not only provides an effective exchange of information, but also allows one to get to know ones friend better, predict the features of further interaction with him, sometimes recognize the seemingly refined manners of incorrect intentions and more. Communication is a set of connections and interactions of individuals, groups, communities, during which information, experience, skills, abilities and results of activity are exchanged. Thus, military service is the best method of developing communication skills and studying psychology.
Soldiers are people who are endowed with boundless love for their country and nation. They are an example to follow because they endured all the difficulties during the service. The importance of this service is also to find like-minded people – people who share views and intentions. It is often during the service that soldiers begin to realize the importance of loyal friends. The army is like a big organization, where everyone looks in the same direction. The essential element in building an authentic military culture is mutual respect. In the army, they learn to respect family, position, status, friends, and cranes. Military service is a good tool for developing deep knowledge of each other. After all, constant stay in the company of close people requires a fairly high level of trust. Therefore, cadets often study the behavior of others and thus develop skills of understanding people (Schendel and Carrie 307). The army also needs openness and willingness to share their opinions, openness in judgments about what is happening in the process of communication. In fact, the willingness to be open largely depends on how much the partners are aware and accept themselves.
Another reason for compulsory military service is to obtain the status of an unappealable hero and patriot. Militarization has always been building a great state because it is the military component used to form and establish a collective identity. People who have served in the military are endowed with signs of sacredness, sacrifice, and heroism (Wrigley et al. 123). Armies give a special status in social relations with the state, assigning the military the position of guards, rescuers, and liberators. Militarism becomes the organizing principle of ideology and culture. The successful solution of social problems is inextricably linked to military doctrine, and military norms extend to everyday life and determine its priorities (Wrigley et al. 141). Heroism is themes that accumulate the spiritual energy of each nation throughout human history. Address to cultural heroes set guidelines that outline the path of moral and dignified national and cultural progress. Today has its current needs caused by socio-cultural realities.
In the space of American spiritual culture, increased attention to the theme of the hero and heroism. At all times, the military was described as a hero and revered. The hero is a national and supranational (universal) phenomenon. It appears in historical time (days), embodies the actual image of each moment of history, or maybe timeless as a reflection of the universal ideal. The essence of the concept of “hero” is determined by ​​a readiness to change, transform, improve the world and people (Wrigley et al. 142). The cultural hero acts as a historical figure and a collective image, embodying the idealized version of the extraordinary personality. In general, military service is associated with patriotism and love for the state. Patriotism as an integrative basis for the revival of the spiritual values of society is a stabilizing factor of national and civic harmony in the American state. The community will always respect a person who has served in the military. Thus, the image of a patriot and a hero is a virtual image of the military.
In conclusion, mandatory military service is essential, as 18-year-olds gain a lot of life experience and valuable skills. For example, military service provides an opportunity to become resilient and courageous. During the service, young people live with their peers far from home. In this regard, they learn to cope with life’s difficulties that arise along the way. Also, service in the army helps develop sociability because like-minded people’s constant presence requires continuous communication and understanding between them. In addition, the military is considered a true hero and patriot. Thus, compulsory military service will endow a person with the right and valuable skills, the ability to feel comfortable in the environment, and feel respect and love for themselves and the country.
Works Cited
Bingley, Paul, et al. “The Opportunity Costs of Mandatory Military Service: Evidence from a Draft Lottery.” Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 38, no. 1, 2020, pp. 39–66. Crossref, doi:10.1086/704495.
Coleman, Marie. “Military Service Pensions and the Recognition and Reintegration of Guerrilla Fighters after the Irish Revolution.” Historical Research, vol. 91, no. 253, 2018, pp. 554–72. Crossref, doi:10.1111/1468-2281.12231.
Schendel, Christina L., and Carrie H. Kennedy. “Consultation Within the Military Setting.” Consultation in Psychology: A Competency-Based Approach, edited by Carol A. Falender and Edward P. Shafranske, American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2020, pp. 301–318.
Margulies, Max, and Leah Foodman. “Suboptimal Selective Service: An Analysis of the Obstacles to Selective Service Reform in American Political Institutions.” Journal of Strategic Security, vol. 14, no. 2, 2021, pp. 74–88. Crossref, doi:10.5038/1944-0472.14.2.1903.
Wrigley, Cara, et al. “Defining Military Design Thinking: An Extensive, Critical Literature Review.” She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, vol. 7, no. 1, 2021, pp. 104–43. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.sheji.2020.12.002.