"I Would Never Shoot Someone! I Would Throw My Gun Down & Run Away!" Swiss Army Soldier

[Turborama]

Run time: 02:38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jwSTriPAag   Posted on YouTube: January 11, 2011 By YouTube Member: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views on YouTube: 610   Posted on DU: January 12, 2011 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 1112

 
Conscripts in the Swiss army explain what a waste of time and money Switzerland having an army is.

[Pancho Sanza]

1. Let's find out what the guys in Bern are putting in their gruel

and make it an ingredient in MREs. :D

[szatmar666]

2. Amercans would love to have the Swiss system

Switzerland has a militia like the Founding Fathers designed it in the Constitution of the USA. That's the only way to stop the military industrial complex from owning a country. I know pacifism is nice and it would be great if it was realistic but this swiss person is wrong: it's a privilege to be a conscript in a national militia and that's why the swiss have far more freedoms americans can only dream of: serving in a national military is the price of freedom. Americans have a professional mercenary force that could be used against their own civilians by the elites, after all they are mainly motivated by career and money at the very top: you can rent retired US generals like you rent video equipment, no one asks if your business is against US national security or if it's in the best interest of the american people.

[Progressive Cancer]

12. A view from Switzerland

I'm swiss and did my military. I have to disagree with you on several points:

- It is not a priviledge to be a conscript it is an obligation. Even more, why are only men obliged to serve and not women? It is discriminatory in a milita system. Israël obliges men and women to serve which is fair.

- About the military industrial complex. Ever heard of Oerlikon-Bührle? Most swiss equipment is swiss made. A milita system does not prevent the influence of military equipment manufacturers.

- 4.5 bn for an army with no real purpose is just too expensive. Sooner or later the swiss army will have to integrate the European army. So why still having an air force and tanks?

Funny fact: the FA/18 Switzerland bought have to ask permission to neighbouring countries if they want to manoeuvre properly: the country is too narrow for such a plane!

[NorthCarolina]

3. "I would never shoot a person"

Watching this clip, I was profoundly struck by how backwards and barbaric America really is.

[chollybocker]

4. Is it still true that the Swiss gov't issues a firearm to every male on their 18th b-day?

i.e., citizens of age automatically become members of the Swiss army and are issued a gun? I heard this on an old clip of QI, Steven Frye's old show on the BBC.

True/Not true?

[Turborama]

5. True-ish, they are given their weapon to take home with them when they are discharged

The Swiss army has long been a militia trained and structured to rapidly respond against foreign aggression. Swiss males grow up expecting to undergo basic military training, usually at age 20 in the Rekrutenschule (German for "recruit school"), the initial boot camp, after which Swiss men remain part of the "militia" in reserve capacity until age 30 (age 34 for officers). Each such individual is required to keep his army-issued personal weapon (the 5.56x45mm Sig 550 rifle for enlisted personnel and/or the 9mm SIG-Sauer P220 semi-automatic pistol for officers, medical and postal personnel) at home with a specified personal retention quantity of government-issued personal ammunition (50 rounds 5.56 mm / 48 rounds 9mm), which is sealed and inspected regularly to ensure that no unauthorized use takes place.<3> The ammunition are intended for use while traveling to the army barracks in case of invasion.

When their period of service has ended, militiamen have the choice of keeping their personal weapon and other selected items of their equipment. In this case of retention, the rifle is sent to the weapons factory where the fully automatic function is removed; the rifle is then returned to the discharged owner. The rifle is then a semi-automatic or self-loading rifle.

More details and references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Switzerland

[chollybocker]

10. Thanks, Turbo.

(I'm usually not this lazy.)

btw, "True-ish" is an awesome oxymoron.

[DeSwiss]

6. $4.5 billion per year for an army?

- Is that all???

K&R

[harmonicon]

7. that's the part that struck me as well

Whatever that is per-capita, I would imagine the US would be much better off if we were to spend only that much as well. We're now destroying ourselves the same way we destroyed the soviets: make them spend all of their money on "defense" so nothing is left for anything else and the country falls apart. We're by far our own worst enemy.

[MessiahRp]

8. By my math we'd be at, $180 billion I think...

Which is considerably cheaper than $711 billion as the above graph depicts.

[harmonicon]

9. yes, but...

That would only leave us with between $1,500 and $2,000 per person in the country to spend on... oh, I don't know... we've got healthcare and education all taken care of. Apart from the military, there must be something at which we're not nearly as good as first world countries. hmmm...

[MrSlayer]

11. Hmmm...I may just invade Switzerland myself.

Hell, who's going to stop me? I do not see the value of having open cowards standing in defense of your country. You're way better off having a volunteer army.

[xchrom]

13. let us know how your invasion works out. nt

[harmonicon]

14. yes, of course - just look at the state of world now

Please compare who's better off: the US, or the Swiss.

[bitchkitty]

15. Go ahead.

I wouldn't judge every Swiss man on one 20-year old man's comment. It sounds as if every man in Switzerland is armed and prepared to deal with invaders. So you jump on that - you'd probably be the one running.