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| Europe |
| Finland has second thoughts about its women soldiers |
| 2018-07-03 |
| [BBC] "I decided long ago I would do military service," says Saara Piitulainen, a 22-year-old voluntary servicewoman. "My father was a peacekeeper, and that is what I want to do myself." She has come to the right place. The Huovinrinne garrison in Sakyla in western Finland is where Finnish peacekeeping forces train before they leave for crisis areas around the world. Now she is training to be a non-commissioned officer. Finnish women have been doing voluntary military service since before Saara Piitulainen was born and this year a record 1,500 applied. In a few days' time she will be promoted to corporal. But for the first time since the military was opened up to women in 1995, the idea has been floated of temporarily excluding them as a way of cutting costs. "We have to find savings somewhere," said Defence Minister Jussi Niinisto. A couple of days later, after a heated debate, he rejected the idea and said he didn't even back it himself. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #4 Finland has second thoughts about its women soldiers I think about them too, sometimes. |
| Posted by: gorb 2018-07-03 12:00 |
| #3 I grew up with two guys who became professionally trained chefs. Neither one of them had any business holding a large, sharp knife. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2018-07-03 08:24 |
| #2 ...In fairness, I've known a few professional chefs, and some of them have recounted hazing, mental/emotional cruelty, and even on occasion physical abuse that would get any Western NCO or officer court-martialed. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2018-07-03 07:49 |
| #1 Both women are restaurant chefs in their civilian lives. Working under pressure and discipline are required in both fields. "There is a tough hierarchy in the restaurant world, so I knew how it might be in the army," says Saara Piitulainen. ...I don't know what to say. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-07-03 06:27 |