The fateful decision was influenced by patriotic feelings instilled during childhood years
Lukas, a volunteer who completed his initial military service a few years ago, reflects on the days when he made this important decision to serve his country voluntarily. He admits that from the very beginning of his journey, he knew exactly why he was doing it and felt no anxiety.
“Perhaps the biggest influence on my decision to become a volunteer was my patriotic upbringing. Since childhood, Lithuania and its history have instilled in me a profound sense of pride in being Lithuanian. My family and I never missed important national holidays, and even when in different cities, we always find time to sing the national anthem on July 6th. Moreover, my grandfather was a partisan in his youth and this fact deeply influenced my commitment to the Lithuania we cherish today,” said Lukas.
Despite concerns from the family, Lukas knew he was doing the right thing as the closest people were supportive of his decision.
“They were worried because I left for service in November 2021 and, as we know, the geopolitical situation at that time was quite turbulent, marked both by the influx of refugees from Belarus and heightened tensions on both the Russian and the Ukrainian borders,” recalled Lukas.
However, family and close friends were very supportive and provided the strength he needed during challenging times.
“The support they provided helped me through the toughest moments. When thoughts of giving up crossed my mind, their encouragement fuelled my determination not to give up. My father always reminded me: “What is difficult in training will become easy in a battle,” he shared.
Psychological challenges
As Lukas, a young man with military service experience, highlights, the army presents a myriad of both physical and psychological challenges, but the latter, in his opinion, are more difficult to overcome.
“The psychological challenges are much greater, beginning with the confinement within the barracks for extended periods. The monotonous daily routine and unchanging surroundings can lead to psychological breakdown. Also, the directives from senior commanders and various assigned tasks compel adherence to specific frameworks, in which you have to stay,” Lukas explained.
Nevertheless, Lukas does not consider these challenges to be a bad or negative aspects of his experience.
“It is an invaluable opportunity to delve deeper into self-discovery, to develop certain personal qualities and, to some extent, to mature,” he said.
According to Lukas, the main difference between the physical and psychological challenges of military service is the preparatory measures available for the former.
“Exercise, compulsory sport, fitness tests – all these factors enhance your physical shape every day, thus these challenges are quite easy to overcome,” he thinks and adds that although both physical and psychological tests were quite demanding, he succeeded. Lukas gives some advice that helped him a lot.
“It is imperative to have a clear understanding of your purpose and remember having the support of your friends in the army, your family, and friends leading ordinary lives beyond the barracks,” said Lukas.
Valuable lessons learned
The experience of military service leaves its mark on everyone’s life in one way or another. Lukas reflects on what this phase of his life gave him.
“Throughout my service, I underwent a subtle transformation in my thinking and understanding of life. I became interested in a more tranquil existence, feeing an urge to immerse myself in my goals and to pursue them. I discovered more courage and diminished having doubts when faced with certain decisions. All the changes, in one way or another, were for the better. I didn’t take any negative things out of the service,” he affirmed.
Lukas also outlined the main lessons he has learnt, which leads him to this day.
“One of the most important life lessons is to never give up, never surrender, because not only your destiny depends on you, but also the destiny of many others around you. The second equally important lesson is to never try to avoid the unavoidable. Though the phrasing may seem intricate, the bottom line is this: whatever happens, make a choice, commit to it, and act upon it. Every attempt to evade or sidestep just makes any situation in life more difficult and more complex,” Lukas shared his insightful perspective.
He further highlighted another important and transformative experience.
“The third lesson which probably makes the whole package, is the cultivation of tactical thinking, which, even in an ordinary life, empowers to look at life situations from a whole different perspective,” he explains.
Certain things missed during service
Volunteer Erikas (name changed) also agreed to share his military service experience. Like Lukas, he decided to do voluntary military service based on his convictions, but did so much earlier.
“When compulsory military service was reinstated, I was in my last school years. I didn’t really know where I wanted to study, so I thought it would be a good idea to go and spend nine months in the military and maybe during that time I could gain clarity about my life goals. Despite the appealing presentation of military service, the reality was a bit different. I joined voluntary, with hardly anyone encouraging me except for a friend who also decided to enlist. He served as a motivating presence by my side,” the young man recalls.
His family provided unwavering support.
“My family backed my decision. Maybe there have been some attempts to understand my motivation, but they ultimately supported my choice without issue,” Erikas stated, recalling not being surprised by what he saw in the army, but there were certain aspects he felt were lacking at that time.
“Not much surprised me, but one thing I anticipated more than anything else – I expected greater emphasis on physical training, mandatory sports or even access to the gym with professional personal trainers,” admits Erikas.
Sometimes, recalls Erikas, there simply was not enough time for sports.
“Sports were not on a daily basis, because there were exercises and other activities. It seemed that physical training was limited to basic bodyweight exercises – push-ups, squats, which are really very old-fashioned simple exercises – nothing new. I had envisioned more structured training on proper exercise techniques and routines, but reality proved to be different,” Erikas admits.
Childhood upbringing helped to cope with the challenges he faced
According to Erikas, he did not encounter any major physical or psychological hurdles in the military, and if he faced any, they were manageable.
“I would say that I didn’t encounter major difficulties in the military, except during the initial weeks when I had to adapt to the regime – to the different, more stringent routine. Physically, it wasn’t challenging, because for most of my life I had been involved in sports. Physical activity posed no significant obstacle for me,” he recalls.
It was his upbringing as a child that provided him with the tools to deal with the psychological challenges.
“It wasn’t very difficult psychologically either, thanks to the disciplined upbringing by my father, who himself had a rather challenging childhood and overcome numerous difficulties in life. He taught me a lot of things, so when I was in the military, neither the commanders nor their rules seemed very strict or difficult to me. I believe that those who had not experienced such strict discipline in their upbringing, might have found it more challenging. It was evident,” Erikas shared.
The experience is also useful in everyday life
As the young man himself said, his military experience taught him many valuable life lessons.
“Indeed, the military teaches you how to fulfil your obligations in life, how to achieve your self-imposed tasks within specific timeframes, ensuring timely delivery of results. The very act of strict daily routine instils the ability to manage your time effectively and to prioritise your daily responsibilities,” said Erik.
Moreover, he emphasized, the military environment fosters mutual respect.
“There was always a sense of clear hierarchy, helpful in the understanding of authority and fostering appreciation for others’ efforts and positions. It teaches respect, you appreciate other’s position more, appreciate the effort he or she devoted, and you look at people in a different way, without any belittling or prejudice,” the young man elaborated.
He admitted that the military service has also instilled in him another crucial quality.
“I have to admit that the army taught me the value of hard work, pushing oneself further, and, when necessary, going the extra mile. It changed my approach to tasks – instilling the understanding that tasks must be completed regardless obstacles. Beyond that, basically, little has changed in my life. I have always been like this: if I need to get up early, I will get up early, if I need to go to bed, I will go to bed, if I need to eat, I will eat, I strive to be punctual, and so on. Perhaps, I increased my stamina even more,” contemplates Erikas.
Although at some point Erikas had considered further developing his military experience and skills, ultimately opted for a different path.
“During my student years, I was thinking about weekend military service. I was short of money, and I thought, I will do some weekend service, earn some money that I needed at that time, but I came to the conclusion that is it not worth being distracted, that I should go my own way, even if it’s a more difficult one. I always knew it was worth doing, I didn’t let myself get distracted, I took the path that some people might be afraid to take or think that easy money is more important than your own calling,” the young man concluded.
A message to those avoiding military service
Unfortunately, in our country, there are numerous young men who try to avoid compulsory military service by any means. When asked what his message for these individuals would be, Erik had an important advice to offer.
“My advice to the young men contemplating avoidance – first of all, fear not, because it’s not that hard. Those nine months swiftly pass. Nowadays, military life is not at all as difficult as it used to be: the food is better, you have some free time, there is a possibility of weekend leave. Additionally, you forge numerous acquaintances who may serve as invaluable allies later in life, some potentially evolving into lifelong friendships,” he says.
According to Erikas, this topic is like an inexhaustible debate, wherein everyone can have a different opinion and point of view, and he definitely has his own.
“I believe that if ten people sat around a table and started talking about this topic, there would be a big argument or a big debate. Fundamentally, I think there should be no compulsion. Individuals should be free to choose whether they want to embark on military service or not. I think there would definitely be people who would opt this path, but the numbers might be smaller, as we all have our goals in life and we will still go for them,” said Erikas.
Lukas, too, shared his perspective on this matter.
“This is a very serious and I would even say honourable decision in an individual’s life. Moreover, it’s only nine months, during which you learn an immense number of life lessons: perspectives are reshaped, physical and psychological fortitude is gained. As I said, “don’t try to avoid the unavoidable. We live in such an unpredictable world where familiarity of warfare not only helps but also potentially safeguards lives, both yours and those of others,” the young man emphasizes.
