Church today was the last time I could attend church regularly before I go into army.It has been a tradition in the youth ministry in my church for the whole ministry to pray for the guys going into the army, and all my peers going into the army are going in around the same time as me.When we were called to the front to be prayed for by the ministry,the whole ministry clapped for us as we went to the front.The clapping no doubt made all of us seem great or to a certain extent, "heroic".But that reminded me of the book I studied in school for lit. "The Red Badge of Courage". It just made me question again.What is so great about this thing called army?In the book,the character Henry is a soldier in the American Civil War and recounts how it was like when he enlisted into the army to fight.He got a hero's reception,everyone cheered for the soldiers where ever they went, there was even a tea thrown in their honor.All the fuss about them made them feel good about themselves,like it was a great honor and there was so much glory involved.This was however all an illusion and once they entered war,the illusion was destroyed.Because it was not at all glorious,not at all honourable.

This makes me wonder what is so good about army that everyone says,it turns you into a man.Or that everyone thinks it is so honourable to be protecting the country.Even advertisements enticing people to join the army makes the army sound like a job for a hero.I really wonder and feel that there is nothing heroic,nothing honourable and nothing glorious.All these are just perceptions or "myths" that I will be more than prepared to squash.Keep all those perceptions or ideas that the army is great or that the army is good because I can honestly tell you,although conditions are not as bad as war,it still isnt something to rave about.