Between the summer of 2009 and 2010, I served my mandatory military service as a guard in The Royal Norwegian Air Force.

In Norway, when I was 19, all young citizens had to spend one year in the military.

There were easy ways to get out of it. From diseases, to ideologies, to responsibilities, to drug-use. So if you wanted to avoid service, you could.

As of March 2016, Norway currently employs a weaker form of mandatory military service for men and women, as now only those who are motivated are selected.

Probably a better systems, so they can avoid people who would rather not be there.

It started with a two-month boot camp in Stavanger. I was assigned to the airforce, but don’t get me wrong, I’m no top-gun. There are a lot of positions in the airforce that don’t require you to ever get in an airplane, and I served my time there as a guard.

Compared to the rest of the year, this period was more like a border-school/summer-camp than a true military experience. At the time I felt it was hard, but later I realised

this was a really soft entry

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