My military experience wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I didn't really want to go the army, because I had been leaning to the political left.
By ANAT SHALEVWoman Soldier 521(photo credit: IDF)
When I was 17 years old I wasn't sure I wanted to join the army. I was in high school at the time and had an older boyfriend who was already serving. He took great pride in what he did and in being in a combat unit. I, on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled about it. I was worried that something might happen to him. I was also upset with the army keeping my boyfriend away from me, whom I only got to see (exhausted) once every second or third weekend.That’s not all. I have been leaning towards the political left for as long as I can remember. I have complex and sometimes unpopular views regarding the state and the military’s actions. I was afraid that I might find myself having to go against something I believed in.The subpoenas started arriving at that time, inviting me to test for different roles in the army. I was indifferent to them.Then I joined the army. I felt as if I had no choice, joining mainly because of my environment. I knew that my friends and family were expecting me to join – it’s not ‘normal’ if you don’t do it. Nobody at that age wants to feel left out. So I joined the army when I was 18 years old. I did some basic training and was then certified as an operations room employee. It’s basically a war room filled with electronic devices that acts as a link between headquarters and the field. I first started my service up north, where nothing was happening during that time. I took a lot of trips in the beautiful landscape around the base.Then I moved to a base in central Israel, to a secret unit designated to bodyguard the chief of staff and other high level personnel. By the time I got there I knew that out of all the places I could’ve ended up in, I was doing OK. I got experience that later helped me as a news producer and got to know different people and situations that helped me later on.I can’t say the army was great and I can’t say the army was bad. It was helpful at that time, in that place, and it was quite an experience – one I’ll never forget.Word Chart
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